The ways Sam and Jack got engaged
by iwrite4fun
Summary: Series of oneshot stories by which Sam and Jack, get engaged! Each chapter will be it's own independent story, picking different episodes to go AU after! Sam/Jack
1. The Exchange of Gifts

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Disclaimer:

They aren't mine. Never will be. Just using them for a bit of fun. All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Author's Note: This will be a series of one shot stories during which Sam and Jack get engaged. They will all be AU stories. Suggestions are always welcomed for future story topics and/or scenes you want to read!

**YEAR ONE**

It had started after the za'tarc incident.

Sam had come home from the SGC to find a package sitting on her doorstep. She recognized the handwriting on the outside, so she picked it up and took it inside. She sat down on the couch and opened it up.

The contents were a shock, to say the least. There was also a small nondescript box. Before she opened that though, Sam turned her attention to the manila envelope that contained a whole stack of papers.

On the top was a sticky note.

_All these need are my signature. If you think we could ever be something more than Colonel and Major, I'm giving you the chance to 'take it out of the room'._

_J._

Sam gasped as she leafed through the papers. It was the Colonel's application for retirement. He had just thrown the ball about any potential relationship into her court.

Realizing the box was still unopened; she picked it up and opened it. Inside was a neon green, light up yo-yo. She laughed. After the way her life had gone the past week, trust Jack O'Neill to make her laugh by giving her his favorite yo-yo. In reality, she knew he was giving her one of his prize possessions.

Now she just had to figure out what she was going to do about it.

* * *

Two days later, Colonel Jack O'Neill walked into his office. Sitting on his desk was a wrapped box, complete with a bow. Underneath was a folder. Being the child that he was, Jack tore into the present first. The box was full of bouncy balls, light-up bouncy balls, and a note.

_Someday._

_Sam_

_P.S. Not for use in my lab!_

Jack sat there in a daze for a few minutes and then chuckled. She had just given him hope for the future and a new toy. What more could a guy ask for?

Jack opened the folder and flipped through the pages. These papers were her request for separation from the Air Force and employment by the SGC as a civilian.

'Huh,' Jack thought, 'suddenly, someday sounds too far away'.

**YEAR TWO**

A year later, Sam came home from the infirmary after recovering from her kidnapping by Conrad to find a package again.

This time, he had signed the retirement papers and included another note.

_Never do that to me again Carter! That's an order!_

_Jack_

_P.S. The rest of the gift will arrive later!_

Two hours later, the doorbell rang and there stood a delivery man with a few balloons attached to the cutest stuffed dog Sam had ever seen. Sam noticed the card attached to the dog and read it-

_I hope you like your new guard dog!_

Sam smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to get him.

* * *

This time, it was a week before Jack found Sam's counter present in his office.

It was the same papers as the previous year, though just like him, she had signed them this year. Inside the box though, was the absolutely ugliest stuffed cat Jack had ever seen.

Pinned to it was a note-

_Sir, if I need a guard dog, you need a feline friend._

_Sam_

**YEAR THREE**

The next year, it was Sam who initiated the gifts. After Jack's return from dealing with Kanan and Baal, Sam dropped off a care package for him in the infirmary.

_The papers are on your desk. Make sure that you don't tell Janet where this stuff came from! An SF will deliver the TV later._

_Sam_

Jack opened the box to find a bag of cheese curls and the newest season of the Simpsons on DVD.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, wondering what he was going to get her in return.

Jack's experience with Baal had been trying to say the least and Sam had faced her own trials during that time. Couple that with loosing Daniel, and he knew that this was going to have to be a good gift.

* * *

Sam opened her locker to find that all her normal bath products had been replaced-by the stuff that she only used when she had a really, really bad day at work. And taped to the shelf was a note.

_For the only woman who could ever put up with me. Papers will be delivered as usual._

_Jack_

Sam smiled. She was really getting to enjoy this tradition.

**YEAR FOUR**

Jack was scared. Sam was missing and he swore that if she made it back in one piece, he wasn't going to leave things up to her; he was just going to retire and be done with it. So when she came back safe and sound he went out and bought a ring intent on retiring and asking her.

But he just couldn't work up the nerve. So one night, he wrapped up the box and delivered it to her front porch, ringing the doorbell, and running to his truck, only she didn't come to the door to get.

* * *

Sam had slept later than she intended, probably an effect of the sleeping pills that Janet had her on while she recovered from her stint on the Prometheus. The drugs knocked her out, making her dead to the world, something that Sam hated.

So Sam was running late. She was supposed to meet Pete for breakfast. She rushed out the front door and almost tripped on the wrapped box. She tossed the box into the house. It never dawned on her that the box could be from Jack.

Jack just wanted to tuck his tail between his legs and turn in his retirement papers right then and there. Sam had found someone else at the same time he had given her a ring.

Only his pride kept him from doing that.

* * *

Sam got home that evening and walked through the door, almost tripping on the box that she had casually tossed inside that same morning. But once again, she didn't have time to open it because she was going on a date with Pete. So she set it on the kitchen counter, intent on opening it when she got home.

That evening she got home from her date with Pete and actually remembered the box. She opened the box to find the last thing she ever expected.

She opened the velvet ring box to reveal a three stone engagement ring. The three stones were set in white gold. Sam didn't know a lot about jewelry, but even she knew that this ring must have cost Jack a small fortune.

And she absolutely loved this ring, almost as much as she loved the man who had given it to her.

Sam just didn't know what to do. As had become the norm, Jack had included his own retirement papers, but this time there was no note attached. She couldn't let him give up his career for her!

So Sam was forced to sit back and think. She didn't get much sleep that night, but she did get a lot of thinking done.

First thing she did the following morning was calling Pete and ending things. He didn't sound very happy about it, but Sam was sure things would never have gotten very serious. He was too curious for his own good and wasn't willing to take her word for things.

The next thing she did was update her own request for retirement and schedule an appointment to see General Hammond. She was taking things into her own hands.

The whole time she did this, she kept looking at the engagement ring. Finally, she stuck a small piece of paper in with the ring and closed the box, putting it back in the box. Carefully, she rewrapped the box, using leftover wrapping paper from Jack's birthday party.

That morning, the SFs at the security checkpoints thought it was kind of strange that Major Carter carried a big box wrapped in Simpsons' paper, but none of them said anything.

Sam left the box in her lab and went to see the General. It took a lot of talking on her part to convince him that this was what she wanted. Finally, he agreed, although he was very reluctant and made her promise that she would be the one to tell her father.

That night Sam went to bed, happier than she had been in a long time. She knew the next few days would make or break her relationship with Jack O'Neill.

* * *

Jack O'Neill was worried. It had been several days and Sam hadn't said a word about his silent marriage proposal. But right now they had more important things on their minds, like why Daniel was so tired.

And then he got to meet 'the guy' and Jack hated him. He was horrible and Jack couldn't figure out what Sam had ever seen in him.

Luckily, it seemed Sam had finally come to her senses because she made sure that Janet broke out the biggest needles to work on him and refused to vouch for him to get security clearance, especially when she learned that Pete had done a background check on her.

Jack got special pleasure in listening to her tear the man a new one, but eventually he had to go do paperwork in his own office.

He found a box sitting on his desk, wrapped in Simpsons' paper.

_Do not open until 1700 hours_ was all the tag read.

Jack looked at the clock then back at the package and knew he wouldn't be getting any work done between now and then.

At one second past 1700 hours, Jack ripped open the box. Whatever he expected to be on the inside, he was sorely disappointed. There was the ring box he had given Sam along with a stack of papers.

Hoping that maybe she had taken the ring, Jack opened the velvet box to reveal the ring was still there. But there was a piece of paper. Jack quickly unfolded it.

_All you have to do is ask._

_Sam_

_P.S. You won't be needing those retirement papers._

Jack quickly looked at the papers in the box and noticed they were his own retirement papers. "All you have to do is ask," Jack whispered to himself as he grabbed the ring box and made his way out of the mountain.

* * *

Doctor Samantha Carter was sitting on her front porch, waiting when Jack's big black truck pulled up.

He got out and slowly walked up to the house. He dropped down beside Sam, fidgeting with the box in his hands. Not even sure how to begin, he repeated her words, "All I have to do is ask."

"Yep."

Jack looked at the woman sitting beside him. He could read her like a book. She was nervous, but was a good nervous. "You know that I'm totally going to screw this up right?" he asked.

Sam looked at him and smiled. "I have faith in you," she claimed.

Jack stood up and went down on one knee in front of her. "Samantha Carter, you are an amazing woman. When I heard you were dating someone else, I was jealous beyond belief and thought I had lost my one and only chance at ever being happy again. I can't imagine not having you in my life. Will you marry me?"

Sam smiled the smile she reserved just for him and held out her hand. "Yes," she said and let slip the ring on her finger.

Jack leaned in to kiss her, and when they broke apart, Sam started to laugh.

"What?" Jack asked.

"We have to be the strangest engaged couple in the universe. We get engaged, then we kiss, and then we date," Sam explained.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah well, I was never one for normal."

And he leaned in to kiss her again.

* * *

_AN: Reviews are always welcomed. If you've read another one of my stories and are wondering when the next one will be coming, I'm working on them! I promise! In the meantime, I am currently co-writing a story with _hannahj310 _called_ "SG1 Highschool". _Check it out!_


	2. Hidden Truths

"I'm sorry," was all Jack could say as he watched his 2IC walk away from him

"I don't love you. I'm sorry," was all Jack could before he watched his 2IC walk away from him.

He couldn't let her tie herself to someone like him. She deserved better than that.

The next day, SG-1, minus Sam, and General Hammond were all gathered in the briefing room.

"Let's begin," General Hammond ordered.

"Sir where is Major Carter?" Jack asked.

"Major Carter has accepted a position at Area 51 for an indefinite amount of time to assist them with several projects," Hammond stated, confused as to why Jack didn't know. "I was under the impression that she had told all of you."

Jack glanced around the table. Daniel and Teal'c didn't seem surprised about this announcement, so they had known. "No sir," Jack grumbled, "She didn't tell me."

"Major Carter was ordered to speak with you before she left," General Hammond barked.

Despite how upset he was, Jack couldn't let Hammond think anything bad about Sam. "Carter did speak to me sir," Jack admitted, "And I may have been a less than willing participant in the conversation."

"May have?" Hammond questioned.

"Very unwilling," Jack said, cringing under Hammond's stare.

Jack could feel the heat of Daniel's stare, and suddenly felt even worse than he had a few minutes ago.

Hammond nodded his head, the reason for Major Carter's sudden departure becoming clearer by the minute. Doctor Fraiser had come with Sam when she had made her plea for a transfer.

/Flashback/

"Major Carter, I don't think the members of SG-1 are going to let you just disappear. You are a member of my best team and while this transfer would be good for your career as an Air Force officer, the only reason you are not currently leading your own team through the gate is because your expertise is needed on that team in the field," Hammond explained, "Unless there is a reason that you are unable to continue in the field."

Janet stared down the General. "Sir, Major Carter has been under a lot of stress ever since she started on this project. That stress has only increased in the past few months as she has headed up the Science Department at the SGC and the Research and Development team at Area 51. She very rarely gets downtime, and even when she does, Major Carter usually ends up being called in for an emergency. I could not call myself a doctor if I permitted her to continue at her current pace."

Hammond looked between the Doctor and Sam. He sat down and sighed. "What do you recommend Doctor?"

"Six months off of field duty. Minimum," Janet ordered and shot Sam a look so that even Sam wouldn't try to object.

"Major?"

"Sir, if I can't be in the field with my team, I don't want to be here," Sam insisted, though rather hesitantly.

Hammond couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on the entire time. "Doctor you're dismissed," he ordered. George waited until the doctor was gone and the door shut before turning to Sam again.

"Okay Sam, off the record, what's going on?" Hammond asked.

"Nothing," Sam insisted. "It's just like Janet said, I need something a little less stressful. I think Area 51 will offer me that opportunity."

Hammond shook his head. "You know the first time that your father comes through that gate-"

"I know sir. All I ask is that you tell him nothing more than what I've told you. If he wants to know more, he can come find me and ask," Sam interrupted.

Hammond shook his head and signed her transfer papers.

/End Flashback/

It was obvious the reason that Sam had asked for the transfer was one Colonel Jack O'Neill, and there was nothing Hammond could do about it-right now. But the first chance he got, he was going to find a reason to order Jack to Area 51 to meet with Major Samantha Carter.

--

It was five months before Hammond found a reason to order Jack to Area 51, and even then his reasoning was shaky, but like the Air Force officer he was, Jack didn't question his orders.

There had been a lot of sleepless nights for Jack and Hammond since Sam's departure. And Jack had been a bear to deal with. Most people had taken to avoiding him as much as possible. Even Teal'c had made it to the point that keeping Jack's company was unbearable for him.

No one from the SGC had seen the Major since she left for Area 51. There had been a few conference calls, and some over the phone consultations for Sergeants Herrmann and Siler, but no one had seen her.

Jack had his own suspicions as to who had talked to her, and he really believed that Janet knew a lot more than what she was letting on about what was going on with his Major and ex-2IC.

It was late on a Friday when Jack's plane landed at Nellis. Rather than going through security to get to Sam's lab, Jack headed for her house in a jeep borrowed from the base's motor pool. There was no vehicle parked outside of the house, so Jack parked, got out, and went to wait on the front porch. Jack was surprised when the door to the house opened, and a man stepped out. Jack quickly got up and dusted his jeans off.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Major Samantha Carter. I was told that she lived her," Jack began.

"She does," the man answered. "And you are," the man demanded.

"Jack O'Neill. We used to work together," Jack answered, trying to make his own estimate of the man that stood before him.

The man nodded. "Sam's mentioned you," the man hesitantly admitted.

Any more conversation was cut short by the sound of muffled crying from inside the house.

"I need to get that," the man claimed. "Why don't you wait in the living room until Sam comes home?" the man suggested.

Jack couldn't remember the last time he had heard a crying baby. And a crying baby at Carter's house? Along with a guy? Last Jack knew she hadn't been seeing anyone, yet there was an obviously a baby at Sam's house, with a guy.

And when the man brought the child out to feed her a bottle, there was no doubt who the little girl belonged to.

"She's the spitting image of Sam," Jack whispered as he took in the very little girl's blue eyes and blonde fuzz.

"She is," the man agreed. "This is Grace, actually Grayson Danielle but I thought Grace fit her better," the man explained as he looked lovingly at the child who was hungrily drinking from the bottle.

"Honey I'm home," Sam called as she entered the house.

"In the living room," the man called back.

Sam entered the living room and stopped as she realized that they had company. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Jack had to swallow to clear his mouth, and force his mind to concentrate on the question. "Hammond asked me to come down and deliver some things to the base," Jack answered.

Sam raised an eyebrow in a Teal'c like fashion, indicating that she didn't quite believe him. "And?"

"And talk to you like we should have before you left," Jack finished.

Sam looked at him suspiciously and then turned her attention to Grace. The man smiled and let Sam sweep the baby into her arms. Sam cooed at the baby, a look of pleasure filling her face as she did so.

Jack noticed the man slip from the room and figured that he wanted to give the two of them some privacy, but he returned a few minutes later with suitcase in hand. "I called a cab," he said. "I'll call you when I get home," he offered as he placed a kiss on Grace's forehead and on Sam's cheek.

He walked to the door before turning back to look at Sam, "And if you need anything," he began and then left the rest of the words unsaid as Sam sent him a look. "Good-bye Mark," she stated firmly.

Mark chuckled and shook his head, before shouldering his bag and walking out the door.

"So," Jack began, "You have a daughter."

"Yeah. Did Mark introduce you?" Sam asked as she smiled once more at the little girl.

"Uh-hu. Grayson Danielle, Daniel will be pleased," Jack said as he kept his gaze on Sam and her daughter.

"Actually it was my mom's middle name," Sam said softly.

"Oh."

And so the visit went.

And many of the visits after that.

Every weekend Jack was on Earth, he showed up at Sam's house to spend time with the two Carter girls. He took them out to eat and doted on Grace, even getting up for the early morning feedings. There had been no mention of why Sam had left the SGC, or who the father to Grace was, or if Sam would consider coming back.

Daniel, Janet, Teal'c, and Cassie even made the trip with him one weekend when Grace was about three months old. The group spent the entire time fawning over Grace, quickly settling into their roles as Uncles, Aunt, and Cousin to little Grace.

Until the weekend that Jack called and delivered bad news, Cassie was in trouble. Sam didn't even hesitate packing up everything she would need and heading to the SGC. The SFs on the surface gave her some strange looks as she and Grace descended into the top secret facility, but none made a move to stop her. She quickly made her way to the infirmary and got to work helping Janet calm Cassie down. At the end of the day though, she found herself in General Hammond's office.

"I've heard a rumor that you brought your daughter on base Major Carter," General Hammond stated.

"Yes sir," Sam admitted wearily, ready for the chewing out she thought was coming.

Hammond softened his facial features and tone of voice. "You know, Jacob is going to be jealous when he finds out that I got to hold his granddaughter before him Sam."

Sam just nodded; still waiting for the blow she knew was coming.

"You want to play it straight with me Major and tell me why you really left the SGC now?" Hammond requested.

Sam sighed. "I was 99 sure I was pregnant before I left. I hadn't told anyone else, not even Janet," Sam was quick to add. "As soon as I got to Area 51, I went and saw a doctor who confirmed it. Then Grace was born, early, very early. The doctor said if she had been a boy, she might not have made it, something about boy's lungs taking longer to develop. She's my miracle."

"Then why leave?"

Sam squirmed uncomfortably but remained silent.

"Or how about, who is Grace's father?"

Again, Sam sat in silence.

Hammond shook his head and asked, "I'm guessing that Jack doesn't know that Grace is his daughter?"

Sam looked at him in shock, fear evident in her eyes.

"No one ever told me, I just guessed," Hammond admitted. "I've watched the two of you dance around each other for a long time and I can't imagine you leaving the SGC even if you couldn't stay in the field for any other reason than to save Jack's career. Someone would eventually put two and two together and figure out who the father is, especially if the child looked anything like Jack. It seems to me though; that from everything I've been told and the pictures I've been shown could easily be mistaken for your own."

"Except her eyes," Sam whispered.

"What?"

Sam's eyes finally rose to meet Hammond's gaze. "Her eyes are changing color. They'll be brown before too long, and they'll look just like his."

"We'll just hope that the eyes are the only thing she inherited from Jack. I can barely handle one Jack O'Neill, let alone a Jack O'Neill with your intelligence? Do you know how much trouble a child like that could get into?" Hammond asked in disbelief.

Sam cracked a smile at that realization. "God help us," she exclaimed.

"So, what are we going to do to keep the two of you from a court martial?" Hammond asked.

Sam looked at him in disbelief. The General was offering to help them out, cover for them.

"Don't look at me like that," Hammond ordered. "Jack O'Neill has never been an easy man to work with, but after a weekend with you, he suddenly becomes a saint for about 48 hours, and then he's back to the same grouchy Colonel we all know. So do you want to give me some details so I can see about helping the two of you out?"

"It happened while we were Jonah and Thera," Sam said. "We never did anything before or after that."

"I have no doubt," Hammond reassured her. "Come on; let's go see that daughter of yours."

And they did.

--

It didn't take Hammond long to secure a promise from the President that no action would be taken against Sam or Jack for the actions that had produced Grace. But they could not pursue a relationship if they were in the same chain of command, which was currently not a problem since Sam was considered to be based out of Area 51.

Something that Hammond pointed out to Jack one day behind the closed doors of his office.

"You know Jack, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Major Carter, but I do know this-there is no way that you'll be able to continue, start, or have a relationship once she returns to this base because she will be back in your chain of command. I suggest that you get your act together and take the chance on this opportunity you've been given," Hammond directed before shoving a folder that 'needed' to be delivered to Area 51.

Jack looked at him in shock before turning on his heels and rushing out of the room. He had a plane to catch.

--

Jack arrived at Nellis, delivering the required paperwork and went to the grocery store before driving to Sam's house, where he proceeded to cook dinner.

Sam arrived home, carrying Grace. Jack went out to greet her and to take Grace out of her arms.

Sam suspected that he was often more excited to see Grace then he was to see her, but she was okay with that since Jack always planted a kiss on her cheek in greeting.

Except this time, because Sam turned her head at just the right moment, and his kiss landed right on her lips. And she kissed him back until she couldn't breathe anymore.

A smile formed on Jack's face as he saw the smile light up Sam's face. Suddenly he didn't doubt his idea as much as he had back at the base. Still he didn't say anything as he led the way into the house and directed Sam to change clothes, put the finishing touches on supper, and fed Grace.

After he had laid Grace down for the night, he joined Sam in the living room.

"We need to talk," they both said at the same time.

They smiled nervously at each other. "You first," Sam insisted, wanting to put off her news as long as possible.

Jack took a deep breath and started to speak. "I know that we really haven't talked about this thing between us since before you left the SGC. It's only a matter of time before Hammond brings you back, and I don't want that to happen before we have a chance to talk."

"I lied to you. I love you. And I've never stopped loving you. I never want to stop loving you. Even Grace has stolen my heart because she's part of you. It doesn't matter that she's not my daughter, she's your daughter and that's all that matters," Jack insisted.

"I know this is moving really, really fast, but I don't want to take the chance of losing you to someone else. And I'll understand if you don't feel the same anymore, and I won't blame you but I just want you to know where I stand."

Jack got up and dropped to one knee in front of Sam, pulling a ring box out of his pocket. "I love you and Grace. Come back to Colorado Springs, move in with me, marry me. It doesn't have to be in that order," he reassured her at her shocked expression. "So I guess what I'm asking Sam is will you marry me?"

By this time, Sam had tears running down her face. She opened her mouth to respond, only to hear Grace making noise from her room.

"Don't move," Jack ordered, "I'll get her."

A few minutes later, Jack returned to an empty living room. Sam came in a few minutes later, clutching a bottle and a sheet of paper. She set the paper next to her and took Grace from Jack to feed her the bottle.

Sam smiled softly at Grace's expression as she drank greedily from the bottle. Jack hadn't noticed the slow change in eye color that was occurring in their daughter. Already, Grace's eyes were mostly brown, and within a couple of weeks would easily match Jack's eyes.

Jack broke Sam's thoughts through when he spoke again. "I know that you want to do the best thing for Grace. I promise you, Grace might not be my daughter biologically, but I could not love her any more if she was my daughter. I'd love to adopt her and raise as my own daughter if her father doesn't object-"

"I know," Sam reassured him, looking up from Grace. "But I don't think there will be any adoption necessary." Sam handed him the folded sheet of paper.

Jack opened it and noticed the seal. "This is Grace's birth certificate," he said, slightly puzzled.

"Keep reading," Sam directed as she continued to hold Grace.

Jack read through the different fields, noting the empty field for last name until he got to the box that said 'father'.

Sam could tell when he reached that box because his eyes got real big, and the sheet of paper fell to the floor.

He seemed to look at Grace with new eyes, and ever so carefully, Sam put Grace in his arms. "She has my eyes and Charlie's nose. God, I can't believe I never saw it before," he claimed.

"I know," Sam agreed.

"Grayson Danielle Carter-O'Neill," Jack whispered in awe.

"Grayson Danielle O'Neill," Sam corrected. "Wouldn't want her to have a different last name than her parents would we?"

"No," Jack agreed, a smile lighting up his face as he watched his fiancé watch their daughter.

Life didn't get much better if your last name was O'Neill.


	3. When they don't even know

Spoilers: Well, if you didn't know about Jonas or that Daniel was gone for a year, I guess I just told you!

This time, they skipped right over the first step for the second one, not ever realizing it. It wasn't how either of them had ever dreamed of it happening. In fact, it was almost six months later before the reality of what _that _ceremony had meant.

"It was a WHAT?" Jack yelled as he stood in General Hammond's office.

A lesser man would have trembled at the anger evident on the Colonel's face, but a lesser man Major General George Hammond was not.

But Captain Doctor Lewis Williams was very much a lesser man, so he took two steps closer to the door, and consequently, away from Colonel O'Neill.

"A marriage ceremony," Williams explained meekly.

If the situation hadn't been quite so serious, George would have laughed merely at the expression on Jack O'Neill's face.

"It's against the regs," Jack protested, like that argument was going to work.

"I know sir," Williams admitted, "But that didn't stop the Wappi from performing the ceremony. They didn't know better."

"And now we have to go back to see the Weepy people all because we are the _only _ones that they trust to form an alliance with them," Jack declared as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Yes sir," Williams agreed.

"Oh this is great sir," Jack said sarcastically. "Not only do you cancel my leave-the first I've had in who knows how long-but you have some geek telling me that somehow, somehow, I married my 2IC during an alien ceremony on another planet!"

"I'll double the leave time after you and SG-1 complete this mission Jack," George offered.

"You'll owe me more than that," Jack sarcastically replied. "Anything else you want to tell me while you're doling out the bad news?"

"Briefing in thirty minutes Colonel," George ordered. "And Jack? I think you better inform Major Carter of this turn of events _before_ the briefing-and you should probably do it with someone else present."

Jack looked purposely at one Captain Doctor Lewis Williams as he said, "Oh sir, don't worry, I've already found my victim."

The poor Captain gulped. Everyone at the SGC knew two things. One, don't make Colonel O'Neill mad. And two, the only thing worse than making Colonel O'Neill mad was making Major Carter mad.

After all, she could make your life miserable-and claim it was all an accident.

--

Sam was buried up to her elbows in an errant MALP when Colonel O'Neill entered her lab. She turned her head long enough to make sure that whatever he picked up wasn't dangerous or breakable before completing her task and standing up.

"Sir?" she asked, and then realized that the Colonel had brought someone with him. "Captain? Is there a problem sir?"

"Oh you could say that Major. Seems the Captain here has discovered something _surprising_ about that ceremony we participated in with the Weepy on P3X-whatever. Let's just say Jonas may be half-way across the galaxy, but if he knows what's good for him he'll be hiding right now!" Jack exclaimed, looking around as if expecting Jonas to show up any time.

Sam's eyes didn't quite narrow to a full out glare, but her gaze was enough to unsettle the Captain who was on the receiving end of the glare into talking without being prompted.

"You and Colonel O'Neill are married ma'am," Williams blurted out.

"What?" Sam exclaimed as she took once step towards Williams. In response Williams took one step back, away from the advancing woman.

"And not only that Carter-but it seems that since the Weepy married us, as part of some native custom, we are the only ones permitted to negotiate the trade agreement with them! So not only do I have to fill out a stack of paperwork to annul a marriage I didn't know I had, but I don't get to go fishing because of it!" Jack yelled, giving the Captain a glare in the process.

"_SG-1 and SG-9 to the briefing room," a speaker broadcast._

Captain Williams made a break for it when the announcement sounded, leaving behind two very uncomfortable Air Force officers.

--

Six hours, one long hike, two briefings, and one visit to the infirmary later, SG-1 arrived in the village of the Wappi and was greeted by the Chief.

"Welcome!" the overly happy man said, almost bouncing in delight, which only made Jack's mood grow darker.

'The universe is out to get me,' Jack thought. 'It's like someone out there knows exactly what I want and has decided to torture me by giving it to me. Then, someone is going to reach out and rip it away.'

Daniel and Teal'c had noticed how quiet Sam and Jack had been the whole way to the village. Jack was pissed. But Sam…she had just been quiet, almost thoughtful, not saying anything more than was required of her since they had arrived on the planet.

Daniel was forced to leave his musings behind, as he stepped up to begin speaking with the Chief, afraid that Jack might cause an intergalactic incident with his current attitude.

That night, Jack and Sam found themselves sharing a hut that only had one bed. It was a very large bed, but it was still only one bed.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Jack gruffly offered, the first words he had spoken directly to her since they had been in her lab.

"No," Sam practically shouted, before lowering the volume of her voice and continuing, "Someone might come in and that wouldn't look good to the Wappi."

"Right," Jack agreed, probably a little too quickly, but he didn't care.

Going to sleep in the same bed as Sam was easy compared to waking up in the same bed as her. Somehow, during the night, they both managed scoot to the middle half of the bed and were now laying intertwined. Legs tangled, arms leading to hands that were touching skin that they shouldn't be, and eyes that were enjoying the sight of a sleeping blonde way more than they should have.

"Good morning," Sam greeted Jack sleepily.

"Morning," Jack gruffly replied and instantly went to remove his arms from around her, having already removed his hand from under her shirt before she had woke up. He was surprised at the amount of comfort she was displaying at their closeness.

Usually one of them would have apologized and pulled away as soon as they reached this point. But something had changed for Sam. A short conversation with General Hammond was all it had taken for her to make up her mind.

/Flashback/

She had all her gear on and was ready to leave for the mission, but had one question to ask the General before she left. So she made the journey to his office and shut the door, giving herself total privacy for what she was about to ask.

"Sir, what is the Air Force going to do about the marriage between Colonel O'Neill and myself?"

The balding General had looked at her curiously, trying to figure out what this 'almost' daughter was actually trying to ask. "Due to standard procedures, we'll be forced to recognize the marriage but due to the classified nature of our work, the marriage will just be annulled. Nothing can or will be placed in your file Major, if that's what you're worried about," George reassured her.

"No sir," Sam said quietly as she shook her head almost whispering, "What would the Air Force do if we decided not to annul this marriage?"

George eye's opened in shock. Never had he even considered this option. Sure, he had noticed the unusual closeness between Jack and his 2IC, but he had never thought their feelings ran that deep. He took a deep breath and asked, "Technically, the Air Force can't do anything, especially if your 'marriage' is a condition of the treaty. There could be potential damage to your career though Major, the rumors alone…"

"I know sir."

"What does Jack have to say about this?" George asked.

Sam let out her own deep breath. "The Colonel hasn't said a word sir," Sam admitted.

"I can hold off on filing the annulment paperwork until you come back Sam," George offered, "But you had both better be sure this is what you want. If you decide to officially legalize the marriage, you realize that means one of you will have to leave SG-1?"

"Yes sir," Sam answered, her voice stronger than what it really should be, given the circumstances.

"Just be sure Sam, I'd hate to have to explain to Jacob that you got married and left SG-1 only to end up divorced," George reminded her.

"I know sir," Sam affirmed before quietly leaving the room.

George could already feel a new set of headaches coming on, once again caused by his premier team, and he once more felt the urge to pick up the red phone and go straight to the top to resolve this particular problem. But first, he needed to see said team off.

/End Flashback/

"Why is the idea of being married to me so awful for you?" Sam asked quietly as both of them faced opposite walls, giving the illusion of privacy as they dressed.

Jack sighed and paused, one arm in his jacket, one arm hanging by his side. "It's not the idea that bothers me," he softly explained.

"Then what is it?" Sam asked.

"The idea of being married to anyone again scares the crap out of me," Jack admitted. "Being married to you Carter would honestly be a dream come true-but we both know it can't happen."

"It already has," Sam reminded him as she turned around.

"And we both know that it can't last. As soon as this mission is over, so is our 'marriage'," Jack said, not daring to turn around and see the expression on her face. His heart was already breaking, and seeing the hurt on her face would only cause him more pain.

"Only if we want it to be," Sam stated and walked out the front door of their hut, leaving Jack alone to try and figure out what she meant by those words.

--

They didn't discuss that conversation the rest of the week they spent negotiating the treaty. Actually, Daniel did most of the negotiating while Sam and Jack sat there and pretended to be interested in the discussion.

Once the treaty was approved, the team started back to the gate, but because of the coming darkness, they were forced to make camp about half way there.

Teal'c and Daniel had strategically withdrawn to their own tent for the night, granting Sam and Jack some privacy.

"Do you realize how screwed up this is?" Jack blurted out to break the silence.

"I mean, we've never been on a date, much less actually talked about 'feelings' that we had three years ago. We didn't even get asked if this was what we wanted," Jack objected.

"Doesn't mean that we can't take advantage of it," Sam said dejectedly.

"I'm not saying that I don't want to," Jack was quick to say. "I guess I always thought that we'd have our someday, you know, but I'd always planned on doing it right. Galactic peace, retire, take you out on a few dates, take you fishing, and then someday, when we were both ready we'd discuss getting married."

"Funny, I never thought it would happen like that," Sam admitted.

"Huh?"

"I dreamed that it would, but let's face it, it's not our style," Sam explained.

"True. So Carter," he began, "Do you think that now that we're married, I could take you out on a date without breaking any regs? Maybe dinner and a movie?"

Sam blinked, and her eyes began to sparkle. "So you really want to give this a try? Not annul our marriage and see what happens?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I think we'd have to be stupid not to take the chance we've been given."

Sam's smile could have powered the Stargate for a year.

--

Four and a half months later, Jack thought about how he'd gotten to this point as he took in the view from the dock at his cabin.

/Flashback/

SG-1 had taken longer than usual to make the last leg of the journey back to the gate.

Sam and Jack had laid it all out there for their teammates, explaining their decision to pursue a relationship would result in Sam leaving SG-1. Their reaction was to be expected. They were happy for their friends, but were upset that they would have to break in a new scientist.

General Hammond was relieved to see SG-1 step back through the gate. Carefully guarded expressions in place for everyone though didn't give him any hints as to what was going on with his best team.

It didn't take long for him to find out though.

"You can trash the annulment paperwork sir," Jack stated once Jack and Sam were in George's office.

"Okay," George said in his Texan accent.

"I'll have the transfer papers on your desk before the end of the day sir," Sam promised.

"No rush Major. I actually have something else in mind, if you're interested," George said, handing over a folder which represented the accumulation of his efforts during SG-1's last mission.

"The Director of Science will be in charge of all scientific developments related to the Stargate program, including but not limited to Area 51, the SGC, and the Alpha site. This person will not be assigned to a team, but can expect to spend time in the field and will report directly to General Hammond or another duly appointed individual," Sam read from the first page of the file and then she looked up at General Hammond.

"It's something that the program needs, but there wasn't anyone right for the job until now. The position comes with a promotion of course," George explained.

Sam was speechless. "I'm honored to be considered sir," Sam finally managed to spit out.

"Honestly, you were the only candidate on the list," George admitted. "I don't need to know anything right now. Just let me know by Monday, for now though consider yourself officially removed from SG-1," he ordered.

Two smiles greeted him with that order, and they both stood and saluted before heading for the door.

"Oh we heard form the Tok'ra while you were gone. Jacob is going to drop by Monday," George casually mentioned.

Jack turned around quickly. "Sir, you know how I said you owed me something besides the extra leave? I think if you tell Jacob about how Carter and I ended up married, we could call it even," he suggested.

"I'll do my best," George promised, "But I won't protect you from whatever he decides to do after I tell him."

/End Flashback/

Jacob had actually taken the news better than Jack had expected. But considering Jack had expected for Jacob to threaten him with bodily harm, well there was quite a bit of room for improvement.

/Flashback/

Jack was seated in Sam's lab, a stack of personnel files spread out in front of him. Sam was involved in some experiment, one that he she had wanted to do before the week long trip.

Jacob had arrived and had instantly been ushered into Hammond's office, before he had the chance to talk to anyone who might spill the beans.

Jack was to the bottom of the first stack and hadn't found anyone that he liked yet.

"Two hours of looking through files, and not a single one that I like!" Jack exclaimed.

Sam didn't even lift her head as she looked through her microscope. "Did you look at Lieutenant Hailey's file yet?" she asked.

"Hailey?" Jack asked and thought about it, realizing that he hadn't seen her file. "Why didn't you suggest that two hours ago?" he questioned.

"You didn't ask," Sam explained, laugher filling her voice.

A voice from the door interrupted any further discussion. "How do two people get married without anyone realizing it?" Jacob asked.

"Very carefully," Jack responded sarcastically.

"Dad," Sam greeted her father, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"So I guess congratulations are in order?" Jacob asked.

Sam and Jack traded glances.

"Well, we're not going to have the marriage annulled if that's what you mean," Jack finally said.

"Huh," Jacob said before he displayed reflexes that Jack prayed were all due to Selmak, grabbing the sleeve of Jack's jacket before Jack had the chance to move. "I'm going to borrow your 'husband' for a little while Sam and then maybe we can catch up over lunch," Jacob suggested, already pulling Jack out of Sam's lab.

"Sure Dad. Have fun guys!" Sam called after them.

The next ten minutes were the scariest of Jack's life. Jacob threatened him with every punishment known to man-and then let Selmak take over and threatened with a few more alien forms.

Then Jacob took one more deep breath and said, "I'm trusting you with the most important thing in the universe to me, my only daughter. That being said, I can't imagine anyone better than you Jack."

If it had been physically possible, Jack's jaw would have been on the floor.

/End Flashback/

Sam leaving SG-1 hadn't been a seamless transition and their relationship hadn't been easy either. They had arguments often over stupid things, but they always had managed to work it out, often giving in after a couple sleepless nights apart. They might not live together, but their time apart often duty could often be measure in minutes rather than hours.

"Jack," Sam called from deck, breaking Jack's musings. He went into the house, intent on making tomorrow one of the best days of his and Sam's lives.

--

It took them three hours to hike the distance to the overlook that Jack wanted to show Sam. They dropped their packs and sat perched on a large rock. Jack slid off the rock, fumbling in his pack for the item he needed.

He went down on one knee and took Sam's hand.

"I know that this is totally backwards, considering we're already married, but I wanted to do this anyways," Jack explained as he opened the box, displaying the ring inside to Sam.

"I love you and by far, accidently getting married to you is the best thing that ever happened to me. I know we're already legally married but I want to do it all over again in front of everyone. I want you to have the wedding of your dreams and all that jazz. So Sam, will you marry me…again?" Jack asked, smiling nervously at his 'wife'.

Sam looked at Jack, seeing the love in his eyes. "You never had to ask Jack. You're already my husband, but I would love to wear your ring and share the rest of my life with you…and our children," Sam promised, leaning forward to kiss Jack, having let her own secret slip.

Sam was disappointed that Jack hadn't caught her reference about kids, but she was too disappointed. He was the happiest she had ever seen him, she just hoped that his mood was remain the same once she delivered her news outright-tomorrow, Sam decided as she drifted off to sleep in Jack's arms.

--

Sam didn't get the chance to deliver the news herself the following morning, at least not the way she wanted. It seems that waking your fiancé/husband up by throwing up gives things away.

Jack stood in the doorway, eyes heavy with sleep, but his face that said it all.

He let her wash out her mouth and brush teeth before he said anything. "So," he asked, "How far along are you?"

"Two months," Sam admitted quietly, "Janet confirmed it the day before we left."

"You know I didn't possibly think that anything could make me happier than you agreeing to marry, re-marry me yesterday. This," he declared waving his arms, "Blows that out of the water. We're having a baby," he finished with a huge smile, pulling his wife into his arms for a celebratory kiss.

Their original marriage might have been unrealized, but there was no doubt in Samantha Carter's mind that both their marriage and their child were very much wanted and that made Samantha Carter, soon to be O'Neill, the luckiest woman in the galaxy.


	4. The Sting of No

Sam hadn't seen Jack O'Neill since she had ignored his proposal.

/Flashback/

He had taken her out to a very nice restaurant in D.C. They were both dressed to the nines, him in a tux and her in a dress that she had rushed out to buy while he had been at work during the day.

It irked her that he hadn't even asked her if she wanted to go out, just told her that they had dinner reservations for that evening at one of the nicer restaurants in the D.C. area.

But she had gone anyway because he had asked, given her the puppy dog eyes, and it was only their second date- if you didn't count the trip to the cabin. Sure Sam had slept in his bed with him every night they had been at the cabin, and was doing the same thing while in D.C., but sleeping was all they did. They were still trying to feel each other out as Sam and Jack, rather then General and Colonel.

They actually ate steaks that weren't burnt and talked about something that wasn't related to work, which was fine by Sam.

No her complaint was what happened an hour later, during a walk towards Jack's D.C. apartment.

Jack sat her down on a bench, pulled out a ring box, opened it up and said, "I want nothing more than to start a family with you Sam. Marry me," in the same tone of voice he had used in the field when he ordered her to hand over the C-4.

When she almost instinctively responded with "Yes sir," she knew her answer wasn't going to make him happy. So rather than answer, she flagged down a passing cab and leaped in before Jack could stop her. She was pretty sure that she set a land speed record in packing her bags at Jack's apartment and getting herself on a military hop back to Area 51. She ignored every call, voicemail, and e-mail that came from Jack over the next week until he finally gave up trying to call.

'You'll forget all about him,' she told herself every night as she fell asleep, tears running down her face. She was relieved that Cassie never asked her about her obviously red eyes.

/End Flashback/

So having him show up at one of the briefings on the status of the Daedulus was quite a surprise. Even more so when he chose to act like the whole "Marry me" thing hadn't happened.

Until he showed up on her doorstep that night, soaking wet from the rain and holding the same ring box.

"Marry me?" he begged in a tone that Sam only imagined him using as he was being tortured by Baal.

Sam slammed the door in his face and ran to the bedroom to bury her face in a pillow so that once more, Cassie wouldn't hear her sobs if she came home early.

Sam stumbled out of the house the next morning and did a face plant on her porch because she tripped over a body that wasn't supposed to be there. Jack quickly rushed over to Sam who tried to push herself up with her right hand, only to cry out in pain. Jack tried to offer her assistance only to have Sam bat his hands away.

"Leave me alone," she growled and slowly hoisted herself into a standing position. She clutched her wrist, which she was reasonably certain was broken, to her chest. After his first attempt to help her, Jack stood back and watched Sam walk to her car, get in, and realize that she wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

Jack approached her vehicle and tapped on the window. "Do you want me to drive?" he asked, tentatively. Sam swung the door open, hitting Jack in the process, and went around and got in the passenger seat. Jack got behind the wheel of her Volvo and drove to the base.

One flash of his ID and Jack was through security. It took half an hour for a doctor with the security clearance necessary to view Sam's medical file to become available.

Even then, he never opened Sam's medical file, just took one look at Sam's wrist and sent her off for x-rays. Jack was ready to throttle the doctor by the time he got around to declaring that Sam's wrist really was broken.

Sam sent the doctor a glare that clearly said, 'No surprise Sherlock' which only sent the doctor quickly running from the room. Sam directed her attention to Jack by asking a totally off the wall question.

"How did you change clothes sir?"

Jack looked at Sam, trying to see where this question was going. "Cassie let me in when she came home last night," he finally admitted. "She just told me that I had better be out of the house before you woke up."

Sam nodded in understanding. At that point, a nurse came in and hustled Jack out the door.

"I couldn't help but hear ma'am," the young lieutenant said as she prepared to put a cast on Sam's wrist, "But we have to ask with these kinds of injuries. Your husband didn't do this did he?"

At the word husband, Sam's arm jerked a little, causing a pain to shoot up her arm. Sam thought carefully before she responded.

"No, my 'husband' didn't do this. It was just an accident," Sam insisted.

The overbearing nurse caught on to Sam's carefully chosen words. "Colonel, we take abuse very seriously-"

"I'm sure that you do, but I'm telling you Lieutenant that it was an accident."

"Are you sure ma'am?"

Sam sent the Lieutenant a glare. "Warp the arm Lieutenant so that I can go home."

An hour later, Jack helped a drowsy and staggering Sam into her bed.

"I'm sorry Sam," Jack whispered as he tucked the covers in around her.

"Naut your fawlt," Sam slurred.

"Why not?" Jack asked, but all he got in response was a soft snore.

--

Sounds from the kitchen accompanied by pain in her wrist were what woke Sam up. She gained her bearings and let her head clear before she went in search of her pain medicine.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded when she found Jack standing over the stove, obviously cooking something.

Jack's head whipped around to look at Sam. "I didn't want to leave you alone," he explained.

"Cassie's here."

"No," Jack shook his head. "She went somewhere with friends for the weekend."

"Oh." Sam saw her medication sitting on the counter and reached for it. But a broken wrist in a cast made it hard to open a childproof cap.

Jack waited patiently for Sam to give up and ask for help. When the first tears started to fall, Jack gently took the bottle from her hands, opened it, and handed her two pills and a glass of water.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sam whispered.

Jack titled Sam's head so he could look into her eyes. "It's my fault you got hurt. It's my fault you're upset. It's my fault that I kept asking you for something you weren't ready for."

Jack paused and took a deep breath. "It's my fault that I can't sleep at night anymore unless you're there. It's my fault that the only thing I can dream about, even think about, it being married to you and having a family with you. For the first time in a really long time, I see a future that doesn't involve the Air Force, and that future revolves around you. Marry me?"

By this time Sam was in tears, and Jack was fully supporting her weight as she had collapsed against his chest. Jack couldn't understand why the idea of marriage had sent her running. They had been dating for three months, less then what her and Pete had dated before getting engaged, but they had eight years of 'not dating' under their belts.

"Eight years of wasted time," was what Daniel had called it during one of their talks prior to the trip to the cabin. Of course, Daniel had drunk an entire beer by the time he had said that, but Jack had weighed those words and considered them to be true.

And he had sworn that he wasn't going to let it be nine years.

Sam pulled away from Jack, shaking off his every attempt to hold on to her. "I'm not that women, nor will I ever be that women Jack," she said softly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Sam-" Jack said reaching for her.

"Please leave," she begged before rushing from the kitchen.

"Sam," Jack called again, but all he got in response was a slamming door. His shoulders slumped in defeat. He quickly cleaned up his mess, put the leftovers in the fridge, and locked the door on the way out. Using his status as a general, he was on the next military transport to D.C. Once he was back in his apartment and had a beer in hand, he called Daniel, in the hopes that his best friend would be able to explain Sam's behavior.

After Jack relayed the latest in what was becoming a saga of failed proposals, Daniel had only one thing to ask.

"You really sat outside her door all night? And then broke her wrist?"

"Yep."

"And all of this resulted in Sam saying 'No' to your proposals- twice."

"Three times. She ran out on me in D.C. the first time I asked too," Jack reminded Daniel.

"Oh. Yeah."

"And she never really said no, more like ran out of the room, slammed the door in my face, and told me that she's not the woman I want her to be," Jack added.

"I don't understand it any more than you do Jack. I can try and talk to her, given Janet would be the best person to ask, but…" Daniel trailed off. "But for the time being, I would say give her some space. Maybe you were just moving too fast for her," Daniel suggested.

"I don't know Daniel, I just don't know any more," Jack said mournfully.

--

Jack took Daniel's advice and gave Sam some space, until Cassie called and demanded to know what he had done to make her aunt so upset. So Jack flew to Area 51 for the weekend, intent on taking care of this 'thing' between him and Sam once and for all. If he couldn't get her to see that his future did indeed lie with him, there wasn't going to be anything that he could do, he was going to have to give up and find a new reason to keep living.

He showed up at her house and rang the doorbell, knowing that Sam would be the only one home. When she answered the door, it took all of his strength not to just reach out and pull her into his arms.

Lucky for him, Sam seemed to want the exact same thing and had no reserves about throwing herself into his arms.

Jack quickly found his tears mixing with Sam's.

Sam pulled away and dried her eyes. "Will you come in sir?" Sam asked. She blushed when she realized her slip. "Will you come in Jack?" She corrected herself.

"Only if you promise to hear me out and talk to me Sam, no running out this time," Jack requested.

"I can do that," she assured him with a nod.

Jack sat down on the couch, waiting for Sam to find her own seat and get comfortable. He watched her hesitate before sitting in the chair opposite the couch, tucking her feet under her.

"How are you?" Jack asked in attempt to start the conversation.

"Fine."

Jack raised his eyebrows, letting her know that he didn't believe her. "That bad huh?"

Sam looked at him confused.

"The last time I was fine, I was speaking an alien language that resulted in me being put in stasis. Or the time I broke my leg in Antarctica, I said I was fine," Jack claimed.

He paused and took a deep breath. "So how are you really Sam?"

Sam had to blink back tears when she heard the concern in Jack's voice. There was never a doubt in her mind that she loved this man.

"Not real great," she finally admits.

"Why?" Jack asked, prodding her a little bit.

For the first time since he had arrived, Sam met his eyes. "Because I thought I had lost you for good."

"How are you losing me? I thought I was the one losing you," Jack pointed out.

Sam closed her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip, trying desperately to fight back tears.

"You wanted something from me that I could never give you."

"If this is about getting engaged and getting married, I can wait Sam. I would wait forever for you," he promised.

"It's not that," Sam said as the first tear ran down her face.

"Then what is it Carter?" Jack demanded.

Sam stood up. "It's that. I do something you don't like and suddenly I become Carter. The first time you 'asked' me to marry you _sir, _it sounded more like my ex-CO asking for some C-4 then it did a man asking me to be his wife. I did that once with Jonas and I swore I would never let myself go through that again."

Jack gaped at the woman in front of him as she continued her tirade.

"Heck Jack, you couldn't fit the words 'I love you' in there somewhere, going right from starting a family to almost ordering me to marry you. You took the two things that I want more than anything else and tied them together Jack, making it so that I can't have one without the other," Sam said through the tears that were now streaming down her face.

"And I can't do one without the other," she sobbed, collapsing in the chair she had recently vacated, burying her face in her hands in an attempt to hide the tears.

Jack couldn't help himself. He hated watching women cry, and even more so when that woman was Samantha Carter. So even though he had no clue what he had obviously done so wrong, he went over to her chair and scooted her around until she was half sitting in his lap.

He let her cry into his chest until all the tears were gone, keeping up the constant motion of rubbing her back, much like he had years ago with Charlie.

When she finally quieted, Jack said, "I'm not nearly as smart as you Sam, so I need you to explain something to me. "Why didn't you say 'Yes' the second time?"

Sam took a deep breath to calm herself. "It's stupid," she whispered.

Jack couldn't help himself. He chuckled.

"I doubt it was stupid Sam, you are a genius after all," he reminded her.

Sam smiled a little bit, which she was sure had been his goal all along, but refused to say anything.

"Okay," Jack finally said when he realized she wasn't going to tell him, "What about the third time?"

"Same thing."

"It's stupid?"

"No, you asked again for something I can't ever give you," Sam explained.

"Just what did I ask for that you can't give me," Jack demanded, trying desperately to keep his temper under control.

"A family," Sam whispered, tears once more threatening to take over.

Jack's eyes darkened as he connected the dots. Quickly, he pushed Sam off his lap and ran from the house, leaving a distraught and sobbing Sam behind.

'I knew it,' she repeated to herself over and over again, as she realized she had just lost the one man who had promised never to leave her.

But just as quickly as Jack had left, he came back.

And this time he wasn't going to give her the chance to say no.

He tried using the sleeve of his shirt to try and dry some of her tears as he kneeled in front of her, but she shied away from any contact.

He took the box from his hand, opened it up, pulled the ring out, and as gently as he could, considering Sam was shying away from him, placed the ring on her finger.

"Hey," he said softly, still trying to get her to look at him as he continued trying to dry her tears. "Look at me," he pleaded.

"Look at me," he repeated.

Slowly, her eyes met his, and what Sam saw there made her heart stop.

"This is my fault," he said as he used his thumb to wipe a tear off of Sam's cheek. "I'm horrible with words, so bear with me here Sam," he pleaded.

"I love you," Jack began, "And for some unknown and totally stupid reason, you love me back, or at least I hope you still do. And I'm giving you this ring and telling you that I'm not going anywhere. Today, tomorrow, years from now, when you decide you're ready to marry me, you let me know, because I'll still love you and still want to marry you."

"But what about-"

Jack put a finger on Sam's lips to stop her from speaking. "You're all I need," he assured her. "You and Cassie and Daniel and Teal'c are my family, that's all I need Sam. As long as I have you, that's all I'll ever need."

Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she settled for kissing Jack while tears continued to stream down her face. "Yes," she said when their lips parted.

"Yes?" Jack questioned.

"Yes," Sam repeated, her eyes shining despite the tears running down her cheeks.

Jack relaxed and pulled Sam out of her chair, causing her to land of the floor with a thump, which only made her giggle.

"No giggling Carter," he ordered on reflex, and then tensed for the reprimand he knew was coming.

But it seemed that getting engaged made Sam a very happy woman, because her eyes continued to sparkle. "Why do you call me Carter?" she finally asked.

"Because no one else does," Jack responded.

Sam thought for a couple of seconds and then nodded in agreement. There were people that called her Colonel Carter, or Doctor Carter, but no one else except Jack called her Carter. And she accepted that to him, at least in some part, she would always be Carter to him.

And she realized she wouldn't trade it for any other name.

Epilogue _Because that ending just wasn't happy enough for me and there was another part to this story begging to be written!_

"They needed medical help fast Jack," Jacob said over the attempt to quiet the infant in his arms, one of ten children, age infant to ten, which the Tok'ra had recently rescued from a planet where all the humans were being used as slaves.

"Why here Jake? The Tok'ra had to know some other planets where a couple more kids and adults wouldn't be noticed," Jack demanded as he watched his father-in-law try to quiet the child.

"The older kids and adults, yes," Jacob agreed. "Those I'm more than willing to take somewhere else after Doctor Lam gives them the all clear, but this one," he said indicating the child in his arms, "There was no way I could just drop her off on some back water planet. Most of them don't have formula Jack," Jacob reminded him.

"True," Jack admitted. "But do you realize the paperwork it causes every time refugees show up?"

"Why should you care, you're retired, remember?" Major General Hank Landry pointed out with a look of longing.

Jack only barely managed to hold back a grin in respect for the torture by paperwork Hank was about to endure.

Retirement had been his choice, a choice that Sam and Jack had reached prior to their wedding over a year ago. He had hated D.C. almost as much as he hated living on the other side of the country from Sam, who missed the SGC almost as much as she missed him. So when Sam had finally decided she was ready to tie the knot after a two month engagement, Jack had retired and Sam had transferred back to the SGC, and to their home in Colorado Springs.

Of course, retirement still meant that he spent a couple of days a week at the SGC working with the new recruits, and bothering his wife in her lab. But on the side, he found himself getting involved in the community, coaching whichever sport happened to be in season, co-ed teams only, so that his wife didn't accuse him of showing favoritism towards one gender of the other.

And as far as Jack was concerned, the decision to retire was one of the best decisions he had ever made, second only to marrying Samantha Carter.

"Where's Sam?" Jacob asked, looking at the door of the infirmary for his daughter, surprised that she hadn't come to see him yet.

"Jacob," Jack said in a voice that clearly said 'don't push it'. "She's probably just busy."

"Too busy for her old man?" Jacob asked quietly in disbelief as he finally succeeded in quieting the infant in his arms.

"What kind of paperwork is there for helping refugees Jack?" Hank asked, mostly to keep Jack from saying something he would regret to his father-in-law.

It took Jack five minutes to recount the paperwork involved, before he realized that Jacob wasn't in the room any longer. He stopped the closest nurse.

"Where did General Carter go?" he demanded.

"He said something about going to see Colonel Carter sir," the nurse quickly replied. "He even refused to leave the baby here, offering to feed her, but forgot the bottle-"

Jack didn't even hear her finish, grabbing the bottle she was holding, and taking off at a run for Sam's lab, hoping by some miracle that he would beat Jacob there before he upset Sam by dangling the one thing she couldn't have and so badly wanted.

He screeched to a halt in the doorway of her lab, in time to hear Jacob say, "Her name is Grace, or at least that's what one of the adults told me."

Jack dared to peek in the door, and was surprised at what he saw. Missing from Sam's face was that haunted look she acquired whenever she was around a baby. Kids over the age of three weren't as bad, but babies and toddlers were the one thing Jack had learned could bring his wife to tears.

Instead, she looked in awe at the little creature in her arms.

A look that Jack remembered from many, many years ago when his ex-wife had looked at Charlie for the first time.

"You forgot this," Jack said, making his presence known as he handed Jacob the bottle.

Jacob's eyes flashed as Selmac took over. "Jacob has no knowledge of how to feed an infant General O'Neill."

Jacob bowed his head, and once more spoke. "I was deployed when both Mark and Sam were born," he explained with a shrug, handing the bottle back to Jack.

Jack turned and tried to hand the bottle to Sam, who caught his eye, shaking her head. "Don't look at me. I do good with kids once they're old enough to feed themselves."

Jack sighed, silently cursing Jacob as he held out his hands for the little girl who was fussing again.

'Probably from hunger' Jack realized.

Sam carefully transferred the infant into his arms, and it was suddenly like no time at all had passed since he had fed Charlie. Of course, the fact that 'Grace' was hungry probably helped.

He didn't even realize that there was a conversation going on around him as he studied the infant, getting his first real look at the baby. She had a small amount of blonde fuzz and bright blue eyes that reminded him of Sam's eyes. Her little fist could barely wrap around his pinkie finger.

"She's so tiny," Jack said, realizing that she was indeed much smaller than Charlie had been at birth.

"She's only a day or so old," Jacob explained, "And the conditions for slaves weren't exactly the best, you know. Doctor Lam said that she's actually pretty healthy for her size, but that kids aren't exactly her specialty, you know."

"Yeah," Jack agreed as he looked up to see Sam had turned all of her attention to studying the baby.

"_General Carter to the briefing room, General Carter to the briefing room," _Walter called via the intercom system.

Jacob took one look at his daughter, Jack, and Grace. "Take her to the infirmary when you're done, will you? The pediatrician is supposed to be here by then." He said, and not waiting for a response, walked out the door.

The bottle was almost gone by this time. So Jack decided to make his escape with the baby while he could. "I'm going to take her back to the infirmary. I'll come get you for lunch at 1300 hours, okay?" Jack asked, trying to keep Sam's attention off the infant, for fear that the tears would start any time now.

"Sure."

Jack gave Sam a kiss on the cheek and left her lab, getting some strange looks from the passing Airmen and scientists as he walked through the hallways on his way back to the infirmary. He put it down to the fact that it wasn't every day you saw the ex-CO of the base giving a baby a bottle, even in the SGC where the unordinary was the norm.

Jack quickly settled the baby in a makeshift crib that one of the nurses had found and went to his office, intent on forgetting all about the little girl.

Of course, that attempt went out the window when he couldn't find Sam in her lab at lunchtime. He stopped Doctor Lee, who was currently working on the same project as Sam.

"Do you know where Carter is?" he asked.

"She said something about going to the infirmary before meeting you for lunch General," Lee replied.

Jack once more turned and rushed out of the room, something he felt like he was doing a lot that day. It took him all of three seconds to locate Sam once he got to the infirmary. She was sitting in a rocking chair, that Jack didn't recognize, let alone know where it could have come from, giving a baby a bottle.

Jack sighed. He had an idea as to exactly which child Sam was feeding. After all, there was only one child in the group that Jacob had brought which required that kind of care.

Jack knew Sam was only setting herself up for more pain when one of the adults stepped forward and claimed the child as their own.

As if she realized he was there, she looked up from where she had been studying the infant and smiled at him. Jack smiled back, trying his best to hide his worry for Sam.

Later that night, they were lying in bed, spooned together, when Sam said something about children for the first time since they had gotten married.

"I never realized what you were giving up until I held Grace in my arms today," she said quietly.

"I didn't give up anything," Jack was quick to claim.

Sam turned to face him and studied his face, clearly saying she didn't believe him.

"Alright, but what I gave up was more than worth it because I got you," Jack added with a smile, trying to reassure her.

"I love you," was all Sam could say and hope that those words would convey everything she was feeling at that moment.

Jack just pulled her closer and brushed a kiss into her hair, knowing that his actions would speak just as loud as his words.

The next morning Jack was surprised to receive a call from General Landry. After a quick exchange of pleasantries, Hank got down to business.

"How did General Hammond decide who adopted Cassie?" he asked without prelude.

"You'd have to ask him to find out for sure, but I know there were quite a few people interested. I think he looked at the options, what Cassie needed, and who had already formed a connection with her, which at the time was mostly SG-1 and Fraiser," Jack recalled.

"Okay. So people on SG teams were pretty much out then?" Hank asked for confirmation.

Jack sighed. "I know Sam thought about adopting her, but that would have meant that she would have had to leave SG-1 to do it, and Hammond wasn't going to let it happen. I think Hammond just wanted to make sure that Cassie would have a relatively secure and normal home life. If one of the team members wanted to adopt one of the kids and they have a significant other at home, I don't see why he or she couldn't be given the opportunity. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah. Thanks Jack," Hank said before hanging up the phone, leaving Jack listening to a dial tone.

Jack shook his head and went about getting dressed. Even if this wasn't one of the days that he had to be at the base, he would catch hell from his wife if he didn't go in and spend some time with his father-in-law.

He was surprised when he realized that his feet had taken him to the infirmary, rather than to Sam's lab. 'What the heck,' he thought, 'Might as well take a peek at Grace while I'm here.'

He snuck to the spot in the infirmary where Grace had been the day before, expecting her to be asleep. To his surprise, her eyes were open. "Hey there," he said as he reached down to pick her up. He enjoyed just holding her for a few minutes when Captain James Lewis interrupted by coming in and then quickly turning around and leaving.

"Captain Lewis," Jack called, not letting the man leave the room, "Can I help you with something?"

"No sir," James was quick to say. "I thought it was my turn to spend some time with Grace, but if you're here…" the man trailed off unsure.

"Your turn?"

James nodded. "Yes sir. There is a list of people who are interested in adopting her and we're all taking turns."

"Adopting?"

The Captain looked at him confused, but wasn't going to question. "Yes sir, Grace is up for adoption, as are the other nine children, although I have to say that the majority of the interest is in Grace General. I heard the General Landry spent all morning entertaining offers to adopt her from just about every officer on base."

"Oh. I'll let you have her then Captain. I need to go make nice with General Carter anyways otherwise I'll find myself sleeping on the couch tonight," Jack joked as he transferred the girl to the Captain's waiting arms.

Jack didn't go find Jacob.

Instead he went to his office and found the e-mail he needed from Hank about the adoption application process an SGC employee needed to go through in order to express their interest in adopting Grace. Noticing the deadline was only an hour away, Jack flew thorough the required forms, finishing with just enough time to get the papers to Hank's office, if he moved fast.

Jack knocked on Hank's door, not wanting to interrupt, but also wanting to make sure that Hank knew he had delivered the papers- before the deadline. What he didn't expect was who was inside, having a conversation with the other General.

"Hey Hank, I just wanted you to know I got this here in time…" he trailed off as he realized Sam was standing there, handing over the exact same set of papers.

Hank smiled as the husband and wife exchanged looks, both of them blushing a little bit as they realized just what the other was there for. He reached out a hand to take the two sets of paperwork.

"Well that solves one problem," he declared as he took a rather large pile of paperwork and dropped it in the trash.

Jack looked at him confused.

"I'm using the precedent Hammond set when he let Doctor Fraiser adopt Cassie. Couples with the appropriate security clearance and at least one person not on an SG team get first chance. I haven't seen anyone else fit those requirements better than the two of you," Hank explained.

"You can't do that sir," Sam insisted. "Everyone deserves the same chance as we have."

"She's right Hank, no special treatment," Jack agreed as he went to stand next to his wife in a gesture of support to her.

General Hank Landry sighed. "Okay," he relented. "But I can almost guarantee that once word gets out that the two of you want Grace, all of these applications," he claimed, gesturing towards the stack he had just pulled out of the trash, "Will suddenly be withdrawn."

Jack watched Sam out of the corner of his eye, as a flash of hope crossed her face, and then was quickly hidden beneath her military mask, like the perfect Air Force officer she was.

"In the meantime," Hank continued, "this base is no place for child, let alone an infant, so would the two of you be willing to take temporary custody of Grace?"

The husband and wife duo didn't even look at each other as they both said "Yes," at the exact same time.

Hank smiled. "I'll call the infirmary and tell them to release Grace to the two of you, provided that the two of you don't have any urgent projects or paperwork," he said looking pointedly at Jack.

Jack tried to look innocent, giving Hank his 'who me' expression, while Hank just continued to stare at him in earnest.

"I'm caught up," Jack assured Sam who was also starring at him. "Meet you in the infirmary?" he asked Sam, but didn't wait for any response as he quickly left the office.

Sam was more respectful, waiting to be dismissed first. She was halfway out the door when Hank called after her, "I don't expect to see you here again until Monday Colonel unless there's an emergency."

Sam turned around and graced Hank with a dazzling smile, one that she usually reserved for just Jack.

Hank waited a few seconds until Sam would be out of earshot to pick up the phone.

"George," he said, "You might want to let Jacob know that his daughter and son-in-law will be at home rather than here at the base."

"So you decided to approve them?" George asked.

Hank sighed. "Yes, but Jack and Sam insisted that everyone gets an equal chance at adopting Grace. So I figure I'll take until Monday to sort through all the applications, hoping that the majority of them will be withdrawn."

"What are you doing with Grace in the meantime?" George asked, not quite believing that the other General would leave the baby on base all weekend when there were obviously two people who very much wanted to have the child at home with them.

"I granted temporary custody to Jack and Colonel Carter," Hank explained.

The two men exchanged good-byes, and hung up, leaving Hank to once more begin sorting through the many applications of possible candidates to adopt Grace. But every time he opened up a folder to begin reading it, he got interrupted.

Occasionally it was Walter Harriman, bringing him more paperwork, but more often then not, it was one of the people under his command coming to withdraw their application due to everything from a 'change of heart' to his personal favorite from Dave Dixon who said, "My wife is pregnant again. And sir, I just don't think I could take having another infant in the house right now. I figure I have seven months to get ahead on my sleep before I start loosing it all over again."

Hank finally pushed the pile of applications to the side and began working his way through the various mission reports and requisition forms. By the end of the day the pile of almost thirty applications had dwindled to just ten, and he figured that there would only be two left by Monday morning, considering all the SG teams that had shipped out during the day would have returned by then.

At least, that was what he hoped.

In reality, he came in Friday morning to find that all of the applications, save Jack and Sam's, had disappeared from the pile.

So Friday afternoon, he appeared on the doorstep of the O'Neill household with a guest. Both of the men were dressed in civvies.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Davis had used a couple of favors to get the required paperwork drawn up and approved in record time, even coming out from D.C. to hand deliver it. And General Landry felt that after all of his hard work, he deserved to at least see the little girl he had went through all the trouble for.

--

When the doorbell rang, Jack and Sam traded looks.

"Who could this be?" Jack asked as he headed for the door, knowing that Daniel and Teal'c wouldn't have bothered to knock, Jacob was busy at the base, and that it was too early for Cam to be coming over. Besides, the new member of SG-1 would have just sat in his car until someone else showed up. He might be old friends with Sam, but would forever be uncomfortable with the retired General.

Sam shrugged her shoulders in response, trying not to jostle Grace who was asleep in her arms. The past 24 hours had been loud and sleepless, for the most part, but oh so worth it. The little girl in her arms filled a hole in her heart that Sam hadn't even realized was there.

And the effect Grace had on Jack was incredible.

Sam hadn't seen him smile and laugh as much as he had in the past few days. He had come alive, making Sam wish once more that they had been able to have children of their own.

"We have guests," Jack said as he led two familiar figures into the room.

Sam went to stand out of respect for General Landry, only to have Jack put a hand on her shoulder preventing her from standing up just as Landry said, "Don't move on my account Colonel, I wouldn't want to be responsible for waking the baby."

"Thank you sir. Grace seems to have already acquired Jack's grumpiness when her sleep is interrupted," Sam said with a straight face.

Hank chuckled loudly, causing everyone to hold their breath when Grace stirred slightly, and then went right back to sleep.

"I'll go put her down and then we can talk," Sam said, rising slowly and walking out of the room. She returned a few minutes later holding a baby monitor.

Jack waited until she was seated next to him before asking, "So what brings you the whole way out here from D.C. Paul? You can't be out of paperwork to do at the Pentagon!"

Paul shook his head. "Actually the amount of paperwork on my desk had increased quite a bit in the past few days, ever since Jacob Carter arrived. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork that a child who weighs less than ten pounds can generate!" Paul exclaimed.

Jack shook his head. "I don't know about that, I remember…" he trailed off suddenly and his eyes got really big. "Is that why you're here?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Davis was quick to assure Jack, "That is if the two of you still want to adopt Grace."

Jack gave Hank the evil eye. "I thought we agreed on an equal opportunity for all applicants," he reminded him.

Hank held up his hands. "And I told you that once word got out, there would be a sudden flurry of changed minds. The only two applications I have left came from the two of you, so I'm really hoping that one of you wants to sign off on these papers that required Colonel Davis to call in a couple favors and spend a great deal of time coming out here to deliver."

The longer Hank had continued to speak, the deeper the blush on Paul's face had become and the more amazed Sam and Jack had appeared.

Sam was the first to recover. "Thank you Paul. You have no idea how much this means to us."

"Ditto," Jack added for good measure.

"Well just name me an honorary Uncle and we can call it even," Paul joked.

Jack nodded. "I think we could do that," he claimed, checking with Sam who was also nodding.

Paul quickly raised his hands to ward off their offer. "I was just joking General, you don't have to do that."

Sounds of a baby cooing could be heard through the baby monitor interrupted the discussion while Sam went to get Grace and Jack heated up a bottle for her. While Sam fed Grace the bottle, the adults turned the discussion to other work topics, though mostly it involved them catching up on the latest gossip from the Pentagon. Once Grace had been burped, Hank redirected the conversation.

"So Uncle Paul, you want to tell these folks where to sign and I'll hold the baby," he suggested, sticking out his arms in the hope that Sam and Jack would willingly let him hold the little girl.

Paul shook his head. "Actually sir, all three of you need to sign the documents, you know since you're the commander of the base," he explained.

"You just want to hold Grace," Jack accused him.

"You caught me sir," he admitted with a grin on his face.

Sam stood up and carefully transferred Grace into Paul's eagerly waiting arms and watched the transformation take place. She had noticed that every time someone held Grace, they seemed to almost glow with happiness. She didn't know if it was something that happened with all babies, but then again, she really didn't care about any other babies now that she had her own.

It took them over a half an hour to get through all the paperwork that adopting Grace required. Of course the last sheet of paper was the one that raised the most discussion, and considering Daniel, Teal'c, and Cameron Mitchell had arrived at this point, there were quite a few differing opinions on the subject.

"You are not naming her Grace Lisa O'Neill," Sam declared, "Or any other character's name from the Simpsons," she quickly added as Jack opened his mouth to make a suggestion.

It was Teal'c who finally helped them get things pointed in the right direction.

"Is it not customary for the people of Earth to name their children in honor of someone?" he questioned.

Daniel quickly jumped in with an explanation. "Some couples do Teal'c, usually in honor of a mother or father or other person who played an important part in their lives. Others just pick a name they like," he explained.

Teal'c bowed his head in response to the explanation.

"Grace Megan O'Neill it is then," Jack declared without preface.

"No," Sam insisted, "That's not fair to you."

"I'm getting the last name," Jack said with a shrug, "Which I think it's a pretty good deal. Besides we're not just naming her for your mom Sam. My grandmother's name was Meg, short for Megan."

"Are you sure Jack? It's not like a name is something that you can change with a drop of a hat," Sam reminded her husband.

"At least until she gets married," Cam said with a smile.

Everyone turned and glared at the younger man.

"What?" he asked.

"Grace isn't dating until she's 40, at least," Jack claimed.

"Well with a dad like you to scare every boy away, I could understand it Jack," Hank chuckled.

"You," Jack said pointing a finger at Hank, "Need to remember whose daughter you're holding. Otherwise I may see fit to revoke your honorary uncle status."

Sam elbowed Jack in the side.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse my husband General, he forgets that he only has a fifty percent claim on _our_ daughter," Sam reminded him.

"You're forgiven Colonel, provided you can convince your husband to get all of his paperwork done by the end of the week…"

"Not a problem sir," Sam promised as she gave her husband a glare. "I'm sure he'll complete it in plenty of time else he won't be able to spend time with our daughter."

"You wouldn't," Jack said.

"Teal'c?" Sam asked, turning to her Jaffa friend for assistance.

"I would be happy to watch over Grace O'Neill while O'Neill completes his paperwork," Teal'c assured her. "I have often heard that young human children are items of attraction for poultry."

Everyone paused as they tried to puzzle out what particular Earth phrase Teal'c was using this time.

It was Jack who figured it out first.

"I think the appropriate phrase is 'chick magnet' Teal'c," Jack informed him, attempting to keep a straight face and failing miserably as Sam began to laugh next to him.

"Is that not what I said O'Neill?" Teal'c asked seriously, but everyone that knew him could see the spark in his eyes.

Which was why Sam, Jack, and Daniel were the first ones to laugh and were shortly joined by the rest of them after they figured out that Teal'c wasn't going to harm them for laughing at him.

Sam looked around the room and saw her family, and she had never been so happy before in her life.


	5. When things get confusing

When things get confusing

They talked all the time on the phone, in the way that good friends who happened to work together on a classified project, each time coming closer to that topic of a future together. But each time they broached the topic, one or the other of them would make a comment about putting it off for a 'face to face' discussion.

But they had yet to have their schedules mesh so that one could visit the other ever since Jack had been transferred to D.C.

So when the anniversary of Sam's mother's death was approaching, Jack realized for the first time no one would be there for her.

Jacob had died, Daniel had left for Atlantis, and Teal'c was off helping the new Jaffa Nation gain its footing.

So the job of 'being there' fell to Jack.

He had his secretary schedule him a meeting with Landry on Thursday and clear everything else from his calendar until Monday. The meeting was mundane and offered no real surprises other then an opportunity to speak with Teal'c via the MALP.

"O'Neill, it is good to see you," Teal'c greeted his friend.

"You too Teal'c," Jack said. "Things going okay?"

"They are well O'Neill. We are an infantile people when it comes to deciding our own ways," Teal'c claimed.

"Everyone is at the beginning," Jack reminded him. "Learn from your mistakes and everything will be fine," he advised.

Teal'c bowed his head as the connection blacked out.

Back in Hank's office, Jack asked a question.

"Is Colonel Carter around by chance Hank?" he asked, hoping it sounded more like an ex-CO looking for a friend then a man who had taken the whole weekend off to be with his friend who would hopefully, someday, be his girlfriend/fiancé/wife.

"She's over at Peterson working with the engineers and Major, no Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, who was slightly surprised you didn't make it for the promotion ceremony by the way. They're working on the X-302. They'll probably call it a day any time now," Hank said and worked to hide a smile. He had wondered how long it would take for the General to ask about Colonel Carter.

He had heard the rumors not even 24 hours after taking command of the SGC that the reason the biggest hater of politics and paperwork in the entire galaxy had accepted the job as Head of Homeworld Security was because he had secured a promise from the President of the United States that he could pursue a relationship with his former long-time 2IC, without either of them facing repercussions.

Hank hadn't believed a word of it. Given the suddenness of the transfer, which had been caused by a heart attack on the part of now retired Lieutenant General George Hammond, there just hadn't been time for that kind of thing to happen.

Still, Hank wouldn't blame the two of them if they took the opportunity that Jack's transfer offered them and ran with it.

"I think she was trying to get them to a point where they could work on their own until Monday. She took Friday and the weekend off," Hank explained with a shrug at Jack's questioning glance.

"Walter told me that this was the first time since he's been here that she asked for time off on her own. He was concerned to say the least," Hank concluded. "You wouldn't know why she asked for time off would you?"

Jack cleared his throat. "It's the anniversary of her mother's death. Jacob was stationed here in Colorado Springs when it happened and with Jacob…," he trailed off, "Well, I think she just needs some time to collect her thoughts."

"Is this something I should be worried about?" Hank asked slightly concerned about one of his best officers.

"Nah, it's Carter. No matter how many times she gets knocked down, she always gets back up. It's what makes her one of the best," Jack claimed with a small amount of pride.

"She doesn't have any family around, does she?" Hank asked, the pieces starting to fall into place as to why Jack had come all this way to deal with business that could have easily been taken care of over the phone.

Jack shrugged. "A brother in California, other then that SG-1 was… is her family. I'll stop by and check on her while I'm in town. Unless she gives you some hint otherwise, assume she's fine Hank," Jack advised.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack thanked the Airman who drove him to his house. The 'For Sale' sign still stood in the front lawn and his truck was in the garage. He dumped his bag in his bedroom, which was pretty much devoid of any personal effects now. Everything had been boxed up for his planned move to D.C. Only just yesterday the President had asked him what he thought of the Pentagon and D.C. in general.

/Flashback/

"Honestly sir? I hate it. 90 of my job could be done from anywhere in this world or any other for that matter. I'd much rather be somewhere… else," Jack finished lamely.

"Somewhere like Colorado Springs?"

Jack tried not to look overly eager at the idea. "Yes sir!"

"You'd have to be willing to make some compromises."

"Like?"

President Henry Hayes held out his hand and started naming them off. "An office not at the SGC, most likely at the Academy or Peterson, a set number of days in D.C. per month, and lots and lots of time on the telephone talking with people. No hanging up because you have another call," Hayes said looking at Jack pointedly.

"Of course sir."

Hayes nodded his head. "I'll have someone do some checking on available offices that can be secured like you would need. It will take some time," he cautioned as he held his hand out to direct Jack out of the office.

"It's the best news I've had since the defeat of the Goa'uld sir," Jack claimed honestly. "I'd think I'd owe you one if you could get me out of D.C.," Jack joked.

Hayes smiled. "Just remember that I have December 25th in the pool Jack. If you and Colonel Carter were to ever get married that is," Hayes said, looking extremely innocent considering the comment he had just made.

Jack didn't even get a chance to respond as he was swept from the Oval Office.

/End Flashback/

Now Jack was glad that his house hadn't sold. Mentally, he added calling the realtor to his list of to do things for this weekend. Right now though, he just wanted to change clothes.

Twenty minutes later, he was parked in front of Sam's house, right behind a vintage black Mustang, which he knew didn't belong to Sam, given that her Volvo was parked in the driveway. He tried the bell at the front door, and no one answered. He went around back, and still no one was there.

So he walked across the street to the park. It took him less than three seconds to locate Samantha Carter.

But he quickly realized she was walking hand in hand with none other then Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. When he saw the man wrap his arms around her in a hug, he turned around and high tailed it out of there.

Suddenly, the fact Sam had sounded happier over the phone these past few weeks made sense. Her voice had been laced with an unseen smile and he hadn't had to work as hard to make her laugh. Jack had attributed it to her having dealt with all the changes of the past few months- Jacob's death, Daniel's trip, Teal'c's leaving, and his own transfer.

Deep in a corner of his mind, he had hoped that part of it was due to him.

Due to them.

The possibility of their future.

Obviously he had been wrong.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack tried to put it off as long as he could, but eventually he ran out of excuses not to go back to her house. He had cleaned his house from top to bottom, unboxed some of the things that had still been waiting to be shipped to D.C., and officially removed his house from the market.

After all, Sam was the reason he had come here this weekend. If she somehow found out that he had been in town, and hadn't made an effort to see her, there would be no safe place for him to hide.

Even Thor wouldn't be able to help him hide from Carter's wrath.

So Major General Jack O'Neill swallowed his pride, prayed to whatever real god was out there that Sam would be alone, and drove to Sam's house once again.

It seemed that either his prayer went unheard or his luck had finally run out because the same black Mustang was still parked on the street.

Jack sighed and forced himself to get out and walk to her front door once more. The windows to the house were open, giving Jack an opportunity to hear the conversation that was going on inside, something that he was grateful for when he realized what they were talking about.

"Are you sure about doing this?" Sam asked, her voice showing her hesitancy. "I mean, I feel kind of stupid."

"Just sit down and listen Sam," a male voice begged.

'Mitchell,' Jack mentally tagged it.

"Okay, so here goes. We've been dating for a while now, and I realized something the other day. Not a day goes by that I don't picture the two of us being together, which got me thinking. Dreaming actually," Cam chuckled. "The other night I dreamed of us growing old together and having a family. When I woke up, I realized just how much I didn't want that to be a dream anymore, but a reality. Will you marry me?"

All it took was hearing the laughter in Sam's voice as she said, "Yes Cam, I'd be honored to be your wife," for Jack to flee towards the safety of his truck.

For some reason though, his feet took him to the park across the street. Realizing that he really wasn't in any shape to drive, he plopped down on a bench which gave him a perfect view of the front of Sam's house.

He watched Sam emerge from the house a half an hour later, Mitchell's arm thrown over her shoulder as they walked to Cam's car. It took longer than it should have for him to see that Cam was all dressed up while Carter was dressed… down. Gone was the skirt and blouse from earlier. Those had been replaced by a pair of sweats and what looked like a faded, old Air Force t-shirt.

Sam walked Mitchell to his car, gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before giving him a shove towards the vehicle saying something that Jack couldn't hear. He watched her even as Mitchell drove away, and as she realized that it was his truck sitting in front of her house.

As if she could feel his stare, she quickly located him from where he was watching. Jack watched the smile that had left her face when Mitchell had drove away return in full force. In fact, it looked like a full out Sam Carter smile that Jack had long ago decided was just for him.

Sam almost trotted across the street to get to him, moving as fast as her legs and the traffic would permit. But other then standing up, Jack didn't move towards her at all, waiting to see how she would react to his presence.

What she did surprised him.

She threw her arms around him, and Jack had to reach out and hug her back otherwise they both would have toppled to the ground. He buried his nose in her hair while Sam's head occupied his shoulder.

Jack didn't know how long they stayed like that because he was enjoying having her in his arms. He didn't know how many more times he would get to hold her like that, so he was going to take the time to enjoy every opportunity he got.

When Sam finally pulled back, Jack realized there were tears in her eyes. She had been crying and he hadn't even realized it.

"Hey," he said softly, using his thumb to wipe away the tears, "You can't be that upset to see me."

"Happy is more like it," Sam said through her attempt not to laugh. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to town?" she asked as they sat down on the bench.

Jack shrugged. "I didn't want something to come at the last minute," he lied, not wanting to tell her that his secretary had been told that only a world ending crisis was going to convince him to cancel this trip.

Sam eyed him like she didn't quite believe him, but let it go.

This weekend in particular, she didn't care how or why Jack O'Neill was in town, only that he was. Samantha Carter hated to need people, but this weekend had always been one where she just needed someone to be there for her. Sam had almost been glad for the couple of times in the past eight years when SG-1 had been on mission, because she hadn't even noticed the date until it was already past.

Even her dad had made an effort after he joined the Tok'ra to make it back to Earth for this date every year. He didn't always make it, but she knew he tried.

But this year, he wouldn't be coming.

In fact, she had thought no one was coming, which was why she had been so happy when Cam had shown up a couple months ago with an official transfer to the SGC.

They had been friends in their early childhood while their fathers were assigned to the same base. Though they were separated by the transfer of Jacob Carter, they had renewed their friendship at the Academy.

Until Cam had been shot down in Antarctica, Sam hadn't even known that he knew about the Stargate. But she was more then happy to welcome him to her team as her temporary 2IC. It felt good to once more have someone she trusted watching her six.

Sam settled herself against Jack, leaning against his shoulder.

Jack stiffened slightly and then wrapped an arm around her.

"I've missed this," Sam said.

"Huh?"

"This," Sam said waving her hands around. "Having you around. It's been too quiet in my lab lately."

"Carter," Jack said in mock disbelief, "Are you saying that you missed me?"

"Yeah, I am _Jack_," she said emphasizing his name, something they had been making an effort to do ever since the trip to his cabin.

"Well Sam, I've missed you too," he said, squeezing the hand that has somehow found its way into hers. "You wouldn't know that we talk almost every day would you?" Jack chuckled.

Sam nodded in agreement. "I thought about calling and asking you to come out this weekend, almost as much as I thought about getting on a plane to see you in D.C."

"I kind of figured that and I knew you would never ask," Jack admitted. "But now I'm not sure if I should have come without calling."

"What does that mean?" Sam asked heatedly.

"You're got Mitchell to lean on now. I feel like I'm stepping on his toes," Jack explained.

"Cam's been great, but he's not you," Sam assured him. "I'll never be as close to Cam as I am to you."

Jack quickly untangled himself from Sam. "I'm not going to stop you from being happy Sam. I think I did that when you were engaged to Pete, but I won't make the same mistake twice. I'll always be your friend Sam, and I'll be there if you need me, but he should be the one you talk to. He needs to be the one you talk to. I didn't share as much as I should have with Sarah and it ended up costing me my marriage. I don't want to watch you make the same mistake," Jack said as he stood up.

He gave Sam one last look before rushing to his truck and driving home.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack felt bad about leaving Sam the following morning.

Bad enough and guilty enough to pick up Sam's favorite breakfast sandwiches and drive over to her house.

It was early but not too early for him to ring the doorbell, knowing that Carter would be up. He hoped that the one person who wouldn't answer would be the owner of the black Mustang which had returned to its spot in front of Sam's house.

But as Jack's luck had gone all weekend, Cameron Mitchell was the one who opened the door, wearing nothing more than a loose fitting pair of sweats.

"Sir," Cam said stiffening a little, as though he was going to come to attention.

Jack ignored his reaction, more concerned about the reason he was here. "Is Carter up yet?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Cam said, stepping outside and partially closing the door behind him.

Jack eyed the younger man. "Can I go in?" he asked.

"Not yet," Cam said. "We need to talk. About Sam."

Jack put his hand up to stop Cam from continuing. "I'm just here as friend. Nothing more."

Cam gave him the once over. "You sure about that?"

Jack glared at the lower ranking officer who had the guts to question him. "Yes," he growled.

"Then as one friend of Sam talking to another friend of Sam's," Cam began, "Maybe we can figure out just why when came I home last night, I found a very red eyed Samantha Carter who wouldn't tell me why she was so upset. Now if she had been crying over her mom or Jacob, I'm pretty sure she would have admitted it."

"Now while I might not be the smartest guy in the world, but I'm not stupid either. Sam cried last night and you show up this morning. Forgive me sir for believing that it was your fault, but you have to look at things from my point of view," Cam explained.

Jack continued to glare at the younger man.

And Cam glared right back at him. "Sam is one of my oldest friends and while I have always respected you sir, Sam comes first. If I let you in the house, you have to promise me that you won't upset her. Today is bad enough as it is."

Jack nodded in acceptance. "I'll try," he promised.

Cam stood back to let Jack into the house, swinging the door open in the process.

"By the way," Jack said, "Congratulations on your engagement. You're a lucky man."

"Sir?" Cam asked confused. "How did you know about it already?"

"I overheard you asking her yesterday," Jack explained.

"Sir," Cam said, sticking his arm out to keep Jack from going in, "I don't who you think you overheard me asking, but you're wrong. I asked Megan while we were up in a hot air balloon yesterday afternoon. There was no way you could have been there."

"Megan?"

"Yeah, Megan Thompson, she's an old friend of Sam's from when she lived here as a teenager. Sam introduced us when the two of us went to the Academy together. We kept in touch and when I came back here a year ago to begin physical therapy we started dating. Every time I was in town, we would go out," Cam elaborated.

"So you're not engaged to Sam?" Jack asked for confirmation.

"No," two voices said at the same time.

Jack turned to look at a disheveled Sam that had found her way to the doorway.

"I've got it from here Cam," Sam said, squeezing the man's shoulder as he went into the house. She waited until they were alone to speak again. "You really thought that…"

"Yes," Jack said quickly. "And why did I hear Mitchell asking you to marry him yesterday?"

"Cam was practicing," Sam explained. "You know, he wanted to make sure he got it right, though for all the practice he did, he told me that he just ended up blurting out 'marry me'."

Sam snorted and Jack laughed as he pulled her into his arms, tightening his grip on her so as to never let her go.

Without worrying about the consequences, Jack leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

When they finally parted, it was Sam who spoke first.

"Wow."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, his eyes twinkling as he held her close. "So," he asked, "Does this mean I should practice my proposal with Teal'c or Daniel before I ask you?"

Sam looked at him curiously. I don't think that will be necessary," she finally said slowly, unsure where Jack was taking this.

"Okay, then marry me?" Jack asked. "Not tomorrow, or the next day but someday when you're ready… I just don't want to take the chance of you getting away again," Jack explained desperately.

Sam had been watching Jack's eyes during his unexpected proposal, and was shocked by what she found there.

He was a mix of emotions.

His eyes declared his love for her, a gaze of hope and longing that made Sam's heart stop. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Jack chuckled. "Aren't I the one who is supposed to be asking you that?"

"Yes."

"I love you and don't want to go another day without letting you know that. I want nothing more then to spend the rest of my life loving you, though it took me hearing another man propose to you to realize it. I don't have a ring or anything to really offer here other then a promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life," Jack quickly added in a rush of words. "You don't have to say yes right now, I'm willing to wait."

"No. I mean yes. I mean I'll marry you," Sam finally managed to get out.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked with an attempted innocence.

Sam pulled his head down for a kiss, which was all the answer he needed.

When they parted, Jack slung an arm around her shoulder. "So what do you think about a Christmas wedding?" he asked as they walked into Sam's house, thinking about the favor he owed the President.


	6. Making the Last Day Worth It

"I wouldn't be here," was all he could say, leaving Sam very confused. But not so confused that she didn't know that her confusion meant she wasn't ready to say yes.

And that she had made Pete wait long enough.

Being one ring and one boyfriend lighter gave Sam enough reason to drag her motorcycle out of her garage. She needed to clear her head while she figured out exactly what she was going to tell him.

She still didn't have everything planned out as well as she wanted when she turned her motorcycle off in the General's driveway, parking it right next to his gas guzzling truck.

Given the approaching darkness, Sam bypassed the front door for the ladder on the side of the house. "Can I come up sir?" she called.

"You have to ask Carter?" Jack called.

Sam smiled and climbed the ladder which led to the General's stargazing platform. He didn't acknowledge her, concentrating instead on adjusting the telescope.

"What brings you here Carter?" Jack asked when he finally looked up.

Sam swallowed. "I returned the ring and broke up with Pete," Sam said.

"Oh. I thought you really like him," Jack reminded her.

"I did. I do. I just don't love him," Sam admitted. "It was a nice while it lasted, but it made me realize that I'm willing to wait for the right guy and Pete wasn't him."

Jack nodded in understanding.

"I liked having Pete to come home to and to be wanted, but I realized I missed the guys of SG-1 more," Sam shrugged. "You guys are my family, and I don't want to trade one night of cheesy sci-fi movies with my family for a million nights of romantic gestures from Pete or any other guy," she explained.

"Romantic gestures?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows.

Sam blushed. "Yeah, you know slow dancing, walks in the park, you know, the kind of thing where I have to spend an hour just doing my hair and makeup."

"Somehow I don't quite think it would ever take you an hour to get ready for anything, let alone just makeup and hair," Jack admitted.

"You'd be surprised," Sam claimed.

Jack looked up curiously. "You know," he began with a grin, "I don't think we've ever taken Teal'c out to a formal function like that, so we just might have to test you on that one."

Sam smiled sweetly. "Does that mean you'll wear a tux sir?"

Jack's grin disappeared. "On second thought," he decided, "I kind of like cheesy sci-fi movies."

Pete's disappearance from Sam's life resulted in a reemergence of Friday movie nights for SG-1.

And Sam never doubted that she had made the right decision.

Especially the Friday night the three guys had shown up on her doorstep.

In tuxes.

With flowers.

After she recovered from the shock, she asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"I believe O'Neill referred to it as a test of your skills, but I do not see how he wishes to do so," Teal'c claimed.

Sam looked at Jack.

He cleared his throat. "The test would be to see just how long it will take for her to get ready Teal'c."

"You placed bets didn't you?" Sam asked.

"Nope."

"Of course not."

"Indeed."

Sam threw back her head and laughed at the obvious denial by the two of them and the alien who could always be counted on to tell the truth. "Come in and you can time how long it actually takes me," Sam suggested, leaving the door open as she walked down the hallway towards her room. "But the winner had better be buying me dinner."

It turned out that Jack had been right. It didn't take her anywhere near an hour to get ready, though she did point out that she had already had a shower which cut down on the prep time considerably.

Money exchanged hands and Daniel ended up being the grand winner for the evening, having predicted the time the closest.

They pulled up outside of the classiest restaurant in Colorado Springs, one which required reservations to get in.

They ate.

They drank.

And they danced, each of them taking turns monopolizing her time on the dance floor.

It wasn't romance, at least in the typical sense, but it was the kind of thing that she had come to expect from her guys. Kind of like how three boxes of chocolates or three bouquets of flowers would show up on her desk for Valentines Day every year. Of course, she always returned the gesture with a gift of her own, coffee for Daniel, special candles for Teal'c, and a new toy in her lab for the Colonel.

At the end of the night, Sam even pretended not to notice that Teal'c and Daniel 'arranged' for Jack to have her last dance.

Or that the General took the long way to her house, dropping Daniel and Teal'c off first before delivering her to her house, walking her to the door, and leaving her with a kiss on the cheek and a smile that said all that they could not.

Sam no longer harbored any illusions that there was anyone else out there for her other then Jack O'Neill. Her last attempt at a relationship had proven that, so for now, until something changed, she would have to take what she could get.

Like the day he invited her back to his house for a midday BBQ, something she didn't quite get, but accepted the invitation anyway. She pulled into his driveway and sat there for ten minutes before going around back because she could see the smoke rising off of what had to be his attempt to cook the steaks.

"Sir," Sam said in greeting.

Jack turned around and smiled. "Carter, can we please try the first name thing today? I promise not to court martial you for calling me Jack."

"Then call me Sam," she responded.

Jack nodded. "I need to tell you something," he blurted out.

Then Sam's cell phone rang. She gave him an apologetic glance as she picked it up and check the Caller ID. "It's the SGC," she explained.

A few minutes later she was driving as fast as she safely could towards the mountain, Jack's words ringing in her ears.

"Go, I'll be there as soon as I clean this up," Jack promised, understanding her concern for her father. In fact, he picked up his own cell phone and called the SGC as soon as he could. The news hadn't been good, prompting Jack to leave the dirty dishes in the sink wondering why things could never be easy for him and Sam.

Jack paused outside the door to Jacob's room.

"He's barely alive. I'm going to die with him, Sam," he could hear Jacob saying.

Jack closed his eyes, groaning internally. He could hear Sam's muffled sobs as though Jacob was comforting her already. He would give them some time together before ordering her off to get something to eat so he could talk to Jacob.

It took an hour of Jack starring at the clock for him to decide it had been long enough, and he could probably go kick Sam out by ordering her to eat.

Luckily he didn't have to do that because she needed his permission to contact the Tok'ra who wanted to pay their last respects to Jacob and Selmac.

Jack went to sit in the chair Sam had just recently vacated, only to have Jacob send him after a box from the locker he kept at the SGC. Confused as to why he was fetching the box rather then Sam, Jack still did as the dying man requested.

"Anything else I can get for you your highness?" Jack asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Shut the door and sit down Jack," Jacob ordered, suddenly all business.

Once more Jack did as Jacob requested, wondering what Jacob was going to ask of him now.

"I want you to have this," Jacob said, handing over a jewelry box which Jack opened to reveal a simple engagement ring. It was just one diamond set in gold with the word 'Always' engraved on the inside of the band.

"Thanks Jake, but you're not exactly my type," Jack joked.

Jacob glared at him. "It's not for you per say. It belonged to Sam's mom."

"Then shouldn't this go to Sam? Or Mark?" Jack asked.

"I'm hoping that it still will someday," Jacob admitted starting to get a little teary eyed. "I always thought I would be around to walk her down the aisle, but I'm not going to make it Jack."

"So you want me to do it?" Jack asked in disbelief, surely Jacob wasn't that clueless was he?

"No Jack," Jacob sighed at the man's obvious obtrusiveness. "I'm giving you permission to marry my daughter."

"OH."

"Yeah."

"You know we never-"

"I know. Sam told me today that she's happy, and I never would have believed her if I hadn't seen her unhappy growing up. I just want to know that you're going to be there for her, and the first chance you get, you'll do something so you can use that," Jacob said with a gesture towards the box still in Jack's hands.

"I already did," Jack admitted.

Jacob raised his eyebrows in question.

"I retired shortly after she almost got engaged to Pete," Jack explained. "The President and Hammond wanted to keep it quiet that they've got a civilian running one of their frontline bases, but for all extents and purposes, I'm a retired General."

"Pete? Who is Pete?" Jacob demanded.

"Friend of Mark's. It took her two weeks to say no and breakup with him. But that doesn't matter now."

"Darn right it doesn't. You're retired and haven't made a move yet? Are you trying to lose her?" Jacob demanded as the heart rate monitor started beeping faster.

Jack smirked and shook his head. "No, just trying to find the time. We've been busy Jake."

Their conversation ended there as the door swung open, revealing that Sam had returned with the Tok'ra. Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob watched Jack slip the box into the pocket of his BDUs.

On his way out the door, he deftly grabbed Sam on the arm, pulling her along with him.

Jack could tell that Sam was probably only a few minutes away from all of her carefully constructed walls breaking down, which was why he was escorting her out of the mountain and to a clearing he had discovered only a few weeks after SG-1 had been officially formed.

Jack sat down on a large rock and did something that would have surprised Sam, if she had been in any condition to think; he pulled her into his lap and said, "Let it out Sam."

Sam turned her face into his chest and cried. "I don't want to lose him," she explained when the tears finally lessened.

"Me neither," Jack assured her.

"It's just… things were finally starting to look up you know? Things were good, the best they've been in a long time. I'm happiest I've ever been and considering the circumstances, life is just about perfect," Sam ranted, pacing back and forth in front of Jack.

"It's not Dad's fault Sam. Everything he did was to try and protect you," Jack reminded her.

"I know… it's just… I'll always figured he'd out live me, my kids, heck probably even my grandkids," Sam admitted.

"Any particular number of kids you were planning on having or is that still open to discussion?" Jack asked feigning curiously in an attempt to distract her and get the conversation started in the direction he wanted it to go.

"With the right guy, it's negotiable," Sam responded, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"Who's the right guy?"

"Sir…"

Jack held out his hand and motioned with his head. "Come sit down Sam, we need to finish that conversation I tried to start earlier."

Tentatively, Sam took the offered hand and sat down next to Jack.

"What I am going to tell you is highly classified, something that the President and General Hammond have instructed me to keep under wraps for the past several months, something which I hope you will understand," Jack began.

"Sir?"

"It's Jack, remember Sam?" he gently reminded her. "Especially now that I'm retired."

"Retired?"

"Yeah, a little over four months ago now. The President and Hammond agreed with me when I said it would look better if a civilian was running the base, unfortunately, it's kind of hard to use that same logic when the SGC is still a front line base," Jack explained.

"So as long as it looks like an Air Force General is in charge of the base, everyone stays happy," Sam concluded.

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"What does this have to do with… whatever we were going to talk about today?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Us."

"Why? Why today? Why now?" Sam demanded.

"It took this long for me to get up the nerve to talk to you," Jack admitted.

"And the day my father tells me he's dying is the day you just happen to find the guts," Sam said incredulously. "My father wouldn't have anything to do with you suddenly finding the nerve to talk to me, would he?" Sam accused.

Feeling the ring that had come from Jacob in his pocket, he couldn't lie to her and say that Jacob had nothing to do with his decision at this point.

"Jacob gave me a little bit of a push to talk to you right now. But where were you when the SGC called? At my house," Jack pointed out. "We would have already finished this conversation if not for the interruption. Not that I'm blaming Dad," he was quick to add.

"Sure. Whatever you say," Sam responded.

"And people say I'm stubborn," Jack declared loudly. "Can we skip over the part where we accuse each other of not talking about this earlier and go straight to the part where I tell you that I love you and ask you to marry me?" he blurted out.

Sam's eyes went wide with shock as she looked at him.

Silently, Jack played his last words back in his mind until he realized exactly what he had just said. He closed his eyes in regret.

"If you didn't mean any of that, now would be the time to take it back," Sam advised him in a whisper.

"Oh no, I meant it. It's just that I didn't exactly want to tell you like that," Jack claimed, eyes still screwed shut.

Jack could hear Sam walking over to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Want to try again?" she asked.

Jack's eyes shot open just in time to realize that Sam's lips were about to come in contact with his own. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the kiss.

"I love you too," Sam said before Jack could say anything else. "And I want to marry you."

"How about today?" Jack asked before he lost his nerve this time.

"Today? You mean like tonight?" Sam clarified, pointing at the rapidly setting sun.

"Yeah. If I can get someone here and get all the paperwork sorted out, would you marry me tonight?" Jack asked hopefully.

Sam took a few seconds to think it over. "Sure, why not? It's not like we're not going to end up there anyway," she explained at his questioning gaze.

"Sam, are you sure? Because once I marry you, I'm not letting you go," Jack claimed.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sam quickly assured him.

For the first time all evening, Jack permitted himself a large grin, which only grew when he realized something else.

He quickly pulled out his cell phone to call the Air Force Academy. Someone was bound to still be there, and given the number of times the chaplain had presided over funerals for SGC personnel, Jack was on a first name basis. It didn't take much convincing for Jack to get the man to come over to the mountain and officiate a hasty wedding.

Getting the marriage license proved to be just as easy, especially considering Jack had the President on speed dial.

In all, it took him longer to get to the fax machine then it did for him to place the two phone calls.

Meanwhile, Sam disappeared to the infirmary where Jack hoped; Jacob would hang on for just a little longer. And given the report from Doctor Warner, he sounded like the visit from his Tok'ra friends was going to help him do that. One of them had taken a turn with the healing device, extending Jacob's life by a few hours.

Precious hours that Jack intended for Sam and him to now make the most of.

Their wedding was nontraditional in every way. There were no tuxes or dresses, just BDUs and hospital gowns. Their witness was just a retired General turned dying Tok'ra. The only rings present were the one several floors beneath their feet and the ring which Jack had hidden away in his pocket.

And the chaplain? He had required an escort from Colonel Reynolds to descend to the infirmary because he arrived in his gym clothes.

Jack had ordered the security system shut off to the room, clearing it of everyone but the four of them. Everyone believed that Jacob would be receiving some sort of last religious rite, but little did they know that there was a wedding going on right beneath their noses, otherwise they would have been lined up to try and peek through the window.

Right before the chaplain arrived, Jacob had looked at his daughter and asked, "Are you sure about this Sammie? You don't need to get married to convince me that you're happy."

Sam had smiled, squeezed Jacob's hand, and locked eyes with him. "I'll admit that getting married today wasn't something that crossed my mind when I woke up this morning, but I'm doing it because I've- we've- waited long enough that I don't want to wait another day. Somewhere down the line Jack and I would end up here anyway, but being able to have you here makes all the difference Dad," Sam said as she turned to smile at Jack as he walked into the room.

Jacob squeezed her hand and waited until Jack came over. He reached out and grabbed Jack's hand and placed Sam's hand in his. "Take good care of her for me Jack."

Jack nodded. "I will," he promised.

The ceremony was brief, with Sam reciting her vows first, hands and eyes locked with Jack the entire time.

Except when Jack had let go of her hand and reached into his pocket, withdrawing the box which had come from Jacob that afternoon.

"I forgot that I had this earlier, and while it's not lavish, Dad assured me that there was significance in it for you. Consider this your engagement ring, with a promise of a wedding band to come," Jack said as he opened the opened the box and offered the ring to Sam to look at first.

"It's mom's ring," Sam exclaimed turning to Jacob after she had examined the ring closely. "You gave this to Jack for him to use? How did you know?"

Jacob cleared his throat to speak for the first time since he had spoken to 'give' Sam to Jack at the beginning of the ceremony. "Call it father's intuition," Jacob claimed.

Sam handed the ring back to Jack and went to give her father a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you Dad. I'd be honored to wear it," she promised.

She returned to Jack and held out her hand for him to put the ring on her finger. He did so quickly and shortly thereafter the chaplain announced the end of the ceremony with the words, "And you may now kiss the bride."

Mindful of his audience, Jack engaged Sam in only a quick kiss on her lips, choosing instead to pull her in for a long, bone crushing hug. Even after the hug was over, Jack left his arm over Sam's shoulder, tucking her against his side.

The chaplain quickly made himself scarce, leaving Jacob with his daughter and new son-in-law. The couple pulled two chairs together and stayed by Jacob's bedside through the night and breakfast the next morning.

A few nurses and doctors came and went, but for the most part, everyone left the threesome alone, not wanting to prevent Sam from spending as much time with her father as possible, and no one daring to pull the General from her side.

As time went on, Jack noticed that Jacob was talking less and was growing increasingly more tired. Knowing that Sam needed just a few minutes to say a private good-bye, he went in search of coffee despite the fact he had a lukewarm cup of the stuff in front of him.

He returned with two cups of coffee ten minutes later to find Jacob barely hanging on. Sam was teary eyed once more.

"I ready," Jacob rasped.

"I love you Dad," Sam whispered, holding onto his hand while placing a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you too, both of you," Jacob whispered before his eyelids fell shut and the heart monitor turned to a constant beep.

The doctor swept in, turning off the various machines before once more giving the couple their privacy.

Jack didn't wait for the doctor to leave the room before he gathered his wife into his arms and held her as she cried.

When in that same room one year to the day later a little boy was born, his parents didn't have to think twice about what his name would be.

"Hey Jacob," Jack said in greeting to his wife as he handed over their son, "Meet you mom."


	7. A Woman with a Plan

A Woman with a Plan

AN: This is an AU where Sam has always been Doctor Samantha Carter. Takes place during Season Six.

It was a combination of things that brought them to 'the moment', Sam recalled years later.

In Sam's mind, 'the moment' wasn't her wedding, or their first date, or even the birth of their first child. No, 'the moment' was the one where Jack finally popped the question. It hadn't been grand or rehearsed, and that's what made it special.

'The moment' was the one she had been waiting on since, oh probably her second date with the man. But given his difficulty with relationships, including one failed marriage and the amount of time he spent MIA or presumed dead, Sam had originally planned for it take two years for them to reach the point of getting engaged, and two more before they started their family.

When the two year mark came and went, most people on the base figured that Doctor Samantha Carter and Colonel Jack O'Neill had agreed never to take that step into marriage, choosing to just enjoy living together instead.

In reality, Sam had discovered she was just going to have to play a waiting game with Jack. Things hadn't progressed quite as fast as she had thought, but she was willing to wait. Considering it had taken more then two years and one really bad mission for Jack and Sam to move in together, Sam wasn't going to let the expectations of others set the pace of their relationship.

So the plan of two years to marriage and two more to children ended up becoming six years to their first child.

And yet both parents were not there to celebrate the happy moment.

/Flashback/

When Grace Elizabeth Carter-O'Neill made her appearance in the world late one evening, her father was not there to hear her first cries.

Instead, Grace's father was being tortured by the worst enemy Earth had ever seen- the Goa'uld- not even knowing that he had fathered another child, much less that she had her father's lungs when it came to announcing her presence.

"She's gorgeous Sam," Doctor Janet Fraiser praised as she handed the exhausted mother her daughter for the first time.

"She looks like Jack," Sam whispered as she held Grace for the first time. "Have they heard anything?" she asked.

Janet shook her head. Truthfully, there had been news, but none of it was good enough to consider passing along to Sam, she had suffered enough stress that Janet refused to mar this happy moment with bad news.

She had been the one to comfort Sam when Jack had made the continuation of their relationship conditional on them not having any kids.

And she had been that same rock the day Sam found out she was part of that small percentage for which birth control pills failed. Clueless as to how to tell Jack, Janet knew Sam had broached the subject one more time with him before taking a leave of absence from the SGC to work on Earth's first large spaceship, the X-303. As far as Sam and Janet knew, no one suspected the real reason for her decision was to hide a pregnancy that Jack would want no part in.

/End Flashback/

During the time she had been away from the SGC, at Area 51, Sam had still been in regular contact with the SGC. She knew everything that went on and had daily consultations with the gate technicians over problems with the gate.

Sam hadn't come to the SGC at all, which considering she was a scientists and not a part of the military, was something she could get away with. She could truly make her own demands and if the SGC didn't meet them, she could and would find work elsewhere. Even when Daniel was dying, Sam hadn't come, using the thunderstorms which had kept the planes grounded for several days as the excuse. She had called and talked to Daniel.

In fact, the only reason that Janet delivered her baby at all instead of her doctor back at Area 51 was because Jack O'Neill and SG-1 weren't supposed to have been on the base.

Sam wasn't sure how General Hammond thought she would be able to 'sneak' onto the base at seven and a half months pregnant, much less convince every single person working there not to say anything to Colonel Jack O'Neill or the rest of SG-1 about it.

By the time SG-1 returned, that was the least of Sam's or anyone else's worries though.

/Flashback/

Sam knew something was seriously wrong when General Hammond called her in his office- and Janet was already there. There had been an SF posted at the door of her lab all day, supposedly to help her out, but Sam had a feeling that the young airman was really under orders to keep tabs on her.

"Sam, we need you to talk to Jack," General George Hammond began.

"No," Sam said, not even letting him finish.

"Sam," Janet pleaded. "He's sick and he's going to die unless you talk him into taking a Tok'ra symbiote."

"How did he get sick in Antarctica?" Sam asked in disbelief. "And how is everyone else okay?"

"Short version? There was an Ancient frozen down there. Somehow a virus was released that was slowly killing everyone. She was able to heal people. After healing everyone but Colonel O'Neill she died. We don't know if the Tok'ra can help him, but it's his only chance," Janet explained. "He either takes the symbiote or he dies."

"No," Sam repeated.

"Doctor Fraiser, give us a minute please," General Hammond requested.

He waited until Janet had left the room to continue. "Sam, I know he hurt you, badly, but you need to ask yourself if you could live with him dying because you didn't ask him to live. And if that doesn't do it, ask yourself if you could look at your child for the rest of your life and know that you played some small part in his father's death."

"You're blackmailing me," Sam stated.

"Yes," George agreed with a shrug. "Is it working?"

"Yes," Sam admitted.

"Good."

Sam did as the General had asked of her, realizing just how out of it Jack was when he didn't realize how pregnant she was. But he did agree to take the symbiote in the end.

/End Flashback/

He had been gone for a month when someone let it slip that he had up and walked out of the Tok'ra base. Well him and his symbiote Kanan.

That slip of the tongue had been accompanied by Sam promptly going into labor.

Ten hours later, Grace had been born.

And Sam had gone right back to work. Well not really work, but she had worked with Jonas Quinn and Teal'c going through the mission reports, trying to figure out where they might have gone. It was the perfect job for Sam because she could easily take care of Grace while she went through the files.

It took several more days for Jack to arrive back at the SGC and even when he did, the torture he had endured was not obvious on his body, but it was clearly evident in his spirit.

His usual spirit of sarcasm and defiance had been replaced with an attitude that largely said 'Get out of my way' and 'Don't touch me'. It was like he had been broken.

Once Janet got Jack settled in the infirmary, SG-1 was permitted to see him. Never having been part of that team even though she was close friends with all of them, except Jonas, Sam paced in the hallway waiting to see if her presence was requested by her longtime boyfriend.

/Flashback/

Jonas had been the first to emerge from the room. "He wants to see you Doctor Carter," he informed her.

Sam nodded and went into the room. They were left alone after Teal'c and Janet filed out. Sam and Jack exchanged the required pleasantries, the fact that they hadn't really spoken to each other in months seemingly forgotten.

Sam watched as he grew tired, slowly drifting off towards sleep while holding on to her hand like it was a lifeline. When she went to unclasp his hand from her's, he woke up with a start.

"Stay," he begged. "I can't go through this without you here."

Sam swallowed. She really didn't want to spend the night in the infirmary and leave her daughter somewhere else, with someone else. And she couldn't bring Grace into the infirmary because she didn't want Jack finding out about their daughter yet. Janet had backed her up saying the revelation would be too much stress on Jack's system.

"I need to get something to eat," Sam claimed, using the first excuse that came to mind. "And then I'll come back. Can I get you something?" she asked. "Besides cake," she clarified with a smile as he opened his mouth.

"No, just you," Jack responded.

It took Sam longer then she had planned to find Teal'c and ask him to watch Grace for the night. Sam couldn't understand his excitement at the idea of spending a sleepless night looking after an infant, but hoped that the job wouldn't lose its appeal after just one night.

Something told her that this thing with Jack would be a several night thing.

/End Flashback/

Even now, years later, Sam couldn't remember much about the week after Jack's return. She spent her first few nights sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair holding onto Jack's hand. After Jack was through the worst of the withdrawal, Janet permitted them to have some privacy by assigning Jack to one of the VIP rooms.

Still feeling guilty for the fact it had been her request that had gotten Jack into this position in the first place, Sam didn't even knock before creeping into his room and crawling into bed with him. For the next three nights, Sam played giant teddy bear for a man who kept her awake with nightmares he refused to talk about.

In total, Sam figured she had gotten a total of ten hours of sleep during that week as Grace required her attention during the day. After the third night, Sam approached Janet about Jack's nightmares.

/Flashback/

"Honestly, I'm not surprised that he's having them. If we compare this to what he went through after Iraq, it's probably going to get worse before it gets better," Janet admitted.

"Great."

"He's going to get angry Sam, and even more withdrawn. The fact that he could be facing a forced medical retirement isn't going to help things any either," Janet added.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me before we get to the bad news?" Sam asked sarcastically. "Because this all sounds really great so far."

"I wish I had good new Sam. Unfortunately the rest of what was in his file probably isn't going to make you very happy either. The thing that pulled him out of that downward spiral? It was Sarah and Charlie, Sam."

"No," Sam said, already able to see where this was going.

"I'm not asking for anything right now Sam, I'm just throwing it out there," Janet assured her.

"No," Sam repeated before quickly exiting the room. There was no way she was letting her daughter anywhere near Jack right now. He hadn't wanted her in the first place and who knew what kind of response he would have when he found out that she was his daughter.

/End Flashback/

The next month was hell for anyone who had to deal with Jack O'Neill. He was constantly slipping up on the SFs assigned to keep track of him. He didn't realize that the SFs were there not to keep track of him because no one trusted him, but because they were to keep him away from wherever Grace happened to be in that instant.

Unfortunately, the SGC was only so big, so by the time Jack O'Neill had actually regained his strength at the end of that month, he had already run into Grace several times, even occasionally when she was with Sam.

But in his desire to stay away from kids, he quickly turned and went in the other direction, not taking the time to closely examine the child.

Until the day when she was shoved into his arms.

/Flashback/

Sam had left Grace with a nurse who was supposed to be feeding her a bottle while Sam worked on fixing an urgent problem with the gate.

But when a team returned with casualties and under fire, the nurse was pressed into duty. She hurriedly pressed Grace into the closest pair of available arms.

"Take her sir," she insisted as she handed Grace over, complete with bottle and burp rag.

"I don't do babies," Jack grumped, though he accepted the child anyway and began looking for the nearest person to pawn her off on.

It didn't take Jack long.

"I'll take her Jack," Sam offered as she walked in the infirmary and saw just who was holding her daughter.

"Thanks Sam," Jack said as he hurriedly made the transfer.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as Jack rushed from the infirmary. One potential crisis has been avoided.

/End Flashback/

Originally, Sam had planned to not be at the SGC very long.

A week at the most.

So as month number three came and went, Sam realized she had been sucked back into the style of life that occurred at the SGC. Grudgingly, she would admit that she really didn't mind it, other then the game she was playing to keep Jack from figuring out just who Grace's mother and father were.

Which was only getting harder all the time.

/Flashback/

"Doctor Carter, I don't think you understand the effect this could have on Colonel O'Neill," Doctor McKenzie insisted.

"For the last time Doctor. I. Don't. Care."

"Sam," Janet injected. "All we want to do is put the Colonel in a situation where he is forced to interact with Grace."

"You can't ask me to do that. He's still having flashbacks," Sam reminded them. "The other day he had me in a choke hold because I startled him in my lab. How can you promise me that my daughter would be safe?"

McKenzie looked like he was willing to admit defeat, but Janet pushed on.

"Because he never, ever laid a hand on Charlie after the POW incident in Iraq," Janet explained. "You could be there if that would make you feel better," she suggested.

"How do you know that?" Sam demanded.

"I talked to his wife," Janet admitted.

Sam glared at Janet.

"I wasn't going to let you anywhere near him, especially at night, if I thought he would put you in danger. Unfortunately, the military doesn't ask questions about how you and your spouse react to these types of situations. She assured me that the Colonel never laid a hand on her or Charlie. The occasional choke hold and such, but nothing that ever left a bruise. And before you ask, I don't think she was lying," Janet explained.

Realizing that this was on battle she wasn't going to win, Sam conceded defeat. "Okay. You can use Grace in whatever 'therapy' it is you want to try on him, on two conditions. One, Teal'c stays with Jack at all times while Grace is in the room. He's the only one capable of keeping Jack in check if he does have a flashback."

"Agreed," McKenzie assured her.

"And two, Jack isn't told who Grace's parents are."

"Sam," Janet tried to argue.

"No. I will tell him when the time comes or if he asks directly if he is Grace's father, but you both told me a week ago that he wasn't ready to find out," Sam demanded.

"Fine," Janet relented.

/End Flashback/

Sam wasn't sure if Jack had ever questioned who Grace's parents were. She did know that holding Grace had brought on a couple of flashbacks, but Teal'c had always described them as being 'good' memories. Ones of when Charlie was alive and things had been good in Jack O'Neill's life. Considering how Charlie had died, it had always surprised Sam that holding a girl with the exact same color eyes as Charlie and his father hadn't brought on a flashback of the day of Charlie's death. That particular incident had been the cause of more then one nightmare since Jack and Sam had started sleeping together.

Even though Sam didn't like the particular way this kind of 'therapy' was happening, she did have to admit it was working. Jack had started to settle back into his normal routine, which included coming into her lab to bother her. Of course, that meant that Grace could no longer be a permanent fixture in her lab. Jack wasn't so out of it that he couldn't put a few things together and figure out who Grace's mom was.

And while figuring out who her mom was would be okay, Jack's reaction was what Sam worried about. She figured it could go one of two ways. He could either think that Grace wasn't his daughter, in which case he would hate Sam, or he could believe that Grace was his daughter, and could end up hating Grace.

Sam didn't know which one would be better.

Or which one would be worse.

And Sam still wasn't sure how or when she was going to tell Jack that he was once more a father.

In the end, it was actually a combination of things that led to Jack discovering that he had a daughter.

/Flashback/

Jack had been the regular, for lack of a better word, babysitter for Grace for over a month before it dawned on him.

He had no idea whose baby he had been borrowing for the last month. Sure he knew her name was Grace, but other then her first name and the fact that her parents hardly ever dressed her in the normal clothing colors for a girl, like pink or purple, Jack knew nothing about the little girl who had been entrusted to his care.

"Teal'c, where did you get Grace from? You didn't let Thor beam her away from somewhere did you?" Jack finally asked curiously, cradling the girl in his arms as he fed her a bottle.

"I did not O'Neill."

"Well then, where did she come from?" Jack demanded. "Do her parents work at the SGC? I can't imagine many who would have trusted an alien and a recently returned POW with their daughter."

"I believe you to be wrong O'Neill. Many in this facility would have volunteered their children if they had been informed of the need," Teal'c claimed.

"But they didn't," Jack reminded him. "So why would a mother or father let me watch their child? Who did Fraiser or McKenzie convince to let them use Grace for 'therapy'?"

"I believe it was a matter of convenience for the parents O'Neill. Because Grace is at the SGC, she easily accessible throughout the day," Teal'c explained.

"Teal'c, quit avoiding the question. Who are Grace's parents?" Jack demanded.

"Does it matter Colonel?" Janet asked as she stepped in and interrupted. "We figured out a way to help you, using the exact same strategy that the doctors said worked the last time. It is working, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. It took a lot longer for me to feel… right again when I came back from Iraq. Mostly because they kept me away from Charlie and Sarah for so long," Jack admitted, looking at Grace who was still happily sucking down a bottle.

"Good. Feel like you're up facing McKenzie for your psych eval yet?" Janet asked.

Jack thought about it, while he studied the child in his arms. He had had a lot of time to think since his return from being tortured, and he had realized something. Loosing Charlie had been the hardest thing he had been through in his life, something he never wanted to go through again.

But he also realized that the reason he kept doing what he was doing was for the kids, for their future. He also realized that he had been way too adamant about not wanting more kids, especially kids with Sam. There was no doubt in his mind that Sam would make an amazing mom.

If she was willing to put up with him, even after his insistence that he didn't want kids, through his recovery after Baal, and just his general sarcastic attitude, a couple of kids shouldn't be a problem.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I think I am. I need to talk to Sam first though, and then do you think you could introduce me to Grace's mom or dad? I'd really like to thank them for trusting me with Grace."

"I'll see what I can do sir," Janet said as Jack finished feeding Grace and burping her.

"Right now I need to give her a check up. If you come back in about an hour, I'll see what I can do about getting you an introduction to her mom," Janet offered.

"Good, I'd like to offer to babysit for her parents some time. I can remember Charlie being little and having trouble finding a babysitter for him, especially overnight. It's the least I can do for someone who trusted me with their child," Jack explained.

"Is someone having a change of heart about having kids Colonel?" Janet asked with a knowing smile.

Jack nodded before he ducked out of the room, calling back over his shoulder, "Yeah I am, I just hope Sam forgives me."

Jack took his time going to Sam's lab, trying to compose what he wanted to say in his mind before he got there.

He entered the lab and took up his usual spot on a stool. "Do you have time to talk?" he asked, interrupting Sam's work on the computer. "Actually I need you to listen," he said changing his mind and continuing to speak before she had the chance to interrupt him and kick him out, both of which she was more then capable of doing.

"I need to apologize and then tell you something," he began. "I've been a total and complete jerk for the past couple years and I'm sorry for that. I have no idea why you stuck with me through the way I acted and totally understand why you took the chance to get away from me about a year ago. I don't blame you for leaving. I didn't deserve you then and still don't. But I'm hoping you'll give me another chance."

Sam cut him off. "What do you think about kids? Us having kids?" she clarified.

"I'm getting there," Jack explained. "Just let me finish," he requested. "I've had a lot of time to think lately and in the process I've fallen in love with this girl. She's cute and beautiful and everything I realized I was missing in my life."

"Jack?" Sam asked worriedly, a feeling of jealously beginning to well up inside of her.

"Don't worry; I don't think she feels the same way Sam. I'm hoping that her parents will let me be an uncle to her as she grows up, at the least I'd like you meet her. I figure it's the least I could do considering she made me realize how much I missed having kids of my own in my life. I want kids of my own again Sam. And I want them with you," Jack finished and now waited for Sam's response.

"You've lost me Jack. Who helped you figure this out?" Sam asked confused as to who could have helped him figure all of this out during the past few months when he hadn't even been permitted to leave the base.

Jack smiled. "A little girl named Grace. Grace Elizabeth. I think I owe her parents a lifetime of nights worth of babysitting considering it's probably my fault that she doesn't sleep through the night. Did I mention that she's only a few months old and is as cute as button?"

Sam smiled for the first time since Jack had started speaking and opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by the phone. "I need to get that," Sam said as she reached for the phone.

"I'll be in the infirmary when you're done," Jack said, leaning over to give her a kiss.

The first kiss he had given her in over a year.

Within minutes Sam was rushing to the infirmary, having just gotten off the phone with Janet who revealed that Sam was either going to have to do some fast talking or she needed to tell Jack that he had a daughter.

Sam was going with the latter. She walked into the room that had become Grace's and stopped in the doorway.

Jack O'Neill was sitting in a rocking chair and talking to their daughter. She could just barely hear what he was saying.

"I bet you take after your mom because you're so pretty. Your dad is going to have to chase the boys away with a shot gun when you get older," he said while looking at the girl. He was rocking back and forth in an attempt to lull her to sleep.

"You know," Sam said from her spot in the doorway, "If you didn't rock her all the time, I bet Grace would sleep through the night and her parents would be a lot happier with you."

"Yeah, well I'm still waiting to meet her parents. Depending on who they are, then maybe I'll apologize," Jack said, looking up at Sam with a smirk on his face.

"About that," Sam began, "I need to tell you something and I need you to promise me that it won't change things between us, that you won't change your mind about what you said earlier."

"What I said earlier?"

"About wanting kids and giving us a second chance," Sam responded.

Jack nodded.

Sam took a deep breath. "The last time we talked, almost a year ago, about having kids, and you pretty much put your foot down and said it wasn't going to happen, I had already made up my mind. I was going to have children of my own, even if that meant doing it all by myself as a single parent."

"You won't be doing it alone Sam. I'll be there the whole way with you when we have kids of out own," Jack broke in.

"What if I already have a child Jack? Would you still love that child?" Sam questioned.

"Yes," Jack assured her. "But where and when did you get a child from? Why haven't I seen the child yet?" Jack demanded.

"She's been around," Sam explained with a wave of her hand.

Jack was silent now, studying his hands. "I love you Sam so lay it all out for me. No more lying and hiding the truth from each other," Jack demanded.

Sam blinked and blew out a big breath as she dropped into the chair she had maneuvered so that she was sitting across from Jack. She didn't even know where to start.

"Sam, I'm not mad at you for having another relationship. I had no claim to you after you we pretty much broke up a year ago. I might be jealous, but I'm not mad at you," Jack assured Sam.

Sam looked at him in disbelief. "If you honestly think that I would do something like that Jack O'Neill, you don't know me very well at all!" Sam exclaimed.

"Well then what am I supposed to think?" Jack demanded.

"Anything but that!" Sam yelled.

The yelling had not only attracted the attention of Teal'c but had interrupted Grace's nap.

"You will cease this argument right now," Teal'c ordered, sweeping in to take Grace from Jack. "It is not to the benefit of your daughter for either of you to upset her by arguing."

"Teal'c," Sam said, trying to prevent him from saying any more.

"Daughter? Grace is your daughter?" Jack asked, turning to look at Sam for confirmation.

"Yes, Grace is our daughter," Sam responded.

"Did you know you were pregnant the last time we talked?" Jack demanded, now standing up and beginning to pace.

"Yes," Sam said reluctantly.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"You weren't exactly very open to the idea of having children, and there was no way I was going to bring a child into that kind of relationship," Sam insisted.

"Does it matter O'Neill and Doctor Carter what has happened in the past?" Teal'c injected. "You have the opportunity to be together now. There is no greater gift in all of the universe then to have a child O'Neill. If you do not take advantage of this opportunity, then you are not the man I believed you to be O'Neill."

Sam and Jack were silent now.

"Can I hold her?" Jack finally asked, holding out his arms to Teal'c.

Grudgingly, Teal'c handed Grace to Jack. He and Sam watched as Jack looked at the girl with a new perspective.

"Teal'c right Sam. I… I don't deserve you or even Grace for that matter, but I'm going to take full advantage of having the both of you. Do you think there's a chance you could see yourself building a future with me?" Jack asked.

Sam gaped at him. "Jack… are you asking me to marry you?"

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess I am," he said hesitantly. "Will you? Someday?" he asked.

Sam broke into a grin. "With an offer like that, I guess I will."

Teal'c smiled and left the happy couple to finish their discussion.

/End Flashback/

It had only taken a few weeks for Sam and Jack to make plans to tie the knot. She wasn't going to let him get away now that she had him. It hadn't taken long for them to settle into life together, moving into Jack's house permanently.

Even now, Sam looked back at her relationship with Jack and saw the day he proposed as the real turning point in their relationship. That day, they put everything that had happened before behind them, including her plan of how their future would go, and became something more, something better, and that something was what they enjoyed for many years in the future.


	8. A Father's Desire

Jacob Carter had never been one to interfere in his daughter's career or her personal life.

Until the day he was convinced she was sleeping with her CO.

So the first chance he got, Jacob forced the man into the closest empty room, which in this case was a cleaning supplies closet. Jacob pulled the door shut behind him and waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, knowing that Selmac gave him a distinct advantage over the younger man.

"What are you thinking?" Jacob demanded.

"What am I doing in a dark closet?" Jack joked.

Jacob's eyes flashed, telling Jack that Selmac had taken over. "I have tried to convince Jacob that he is wrong. I apologize ahead of time for his actions. I see no problem with you pursing a relationship with Samantha Carter."

"Carter?" Jack said in disbelief.

"Yes, Carter. Samantha Carter, my daughter. My _only_ daughter. Your 2IC."

"Carter?" Jack repeated. "You think I'm dating Carter?"

Jacob laughed. "Dating?" More like sleeping with her," Jacob claimed as he took a step towards Jack.

Despite the darkness of the room, Jacob could see Jack's eyes open wide in fear, or was it surprise in being found out, Jacob wondered.

"Sleeping… with Carter? Are you crazy? She's young and smart and totally not interested in me," Jack insisted with raised hands.

"Oh yes she is interested in you."

"No way."

"Oh yes. Trust me. I'm her father."

"Are you sure you don't have a concussion Jake, because you aren't making any sense here," Jack insisted. "Maybe you should go have your head examined," he suggested.

"Oh, it's perfectly clear to me Jack. You are carrying on a totally inappropriate relationship with my daughter. And," Jacob said taking a deep breath. "Sam is happier then I've seen her in a long time. Keep her that way and I'll take care of things with George."

Jacob Carter turned to leave the room.

"Uh Jacob, just to be clear here. If Carter and I did- theoretically – have a relationship, you would be okay with it?" Jack clarified.

"Yes."

"And no threats of bodily harm or repeated death?"

Jacob gave him a steely glare. "They were implied Jack, that is if there's anything left of you when Sam gets done."

"Oh. Yeah."

"I could list them for you if you need a reminder," Jacob offered, "But considering you've done the whole 'talking to the father' thing once before, I figured I was off the hook. But if you really need me to…"

"Nope, we're good," Jack quickly assured him.

Jacob opened the door and stepped out in the hallway. Jack followed, hoping to be able to avoid the one person he did not want to see him with Jacob.

But he must have run a little short on luck for the day because she was standing right there, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Dad, what were you and the Colonel doing in the cleaning supplies closet?" Major Samantha Carter asked.

"Discussing strategy," Jacob replied.

Without a doubt in Jack's mind, Sam knew she was being lied to, but wasn't willing to questions a superior officer or her father, which in this instance, Jack considered to be the first bit of luck he had received all day.

--

Jacob's visit was short.

To the point that he barely had time to talk with George before he was headed back through the gate to the Tok'ra. George had been unwilling to reveal anything until Jacob has pressured him.

At which time, George revealed that the President had already signed off on a changed set of regulations for the SGC, provided he was permitted to place the first bet on when the couple would seal the deal.

Jacob had laughed with George for a few minutes about how their Commander in Chief was a romantic at heart and then placed his own bet.

"I'll even split the profits with you if you make that change public," Jacob offered.

Hammond chuckled. "Would you be surprised to know that the update was made in the latest SGC handbook? I even sent a memo about it to Colonel O'Neill."

"You know George, something as important as the SGC handbook and all regulations therein should be memorized or at least reviewed by your 2IC, should they? I mean that kind of thing is below your status as General, isn't it?" Jacob asked with a knowing smile.

"You know Jake, I just think it might be," George agreed while nodding and trying desperately to keep the grin off of his face. "So should we place a bet on if Jack ever gets to that page or if someone else discovers it first?"

"Twenty bucks says that he gets Daniel to help him out and he points it out to Jack," Jacob said.

"I'll match that, but I'm betting on Sam," George claimed. "There's no way Jack will talk Daniel into helping him with something military related."

Jacob thought about for a few seconds and agreed. "You know, you're probably right George but this way," he said stepping towards the door, "I win either way."

"How's that?" George asked confused.

"I either get a new son-in-law complete with new grandchildren or twenty bucks," Jacob said with a smile. "It's a win-win situation."

Before George could respond, Jacob was gone. He shook hands with Jack and gave Sam a hug at the base of the ramp, hoping that he had done the right thing for the both of them.

If anyone deserved happiness after everything they had been through and everything they did on a daily basis, it was Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter.

--

Major General George Hammond had known Jacob Carter since they were both lowly 2nd Lieutenants serving at the same base back at the beginning of their careers in the Air Force. He had been the one to drive Jacob to the hospital just in time for Mark's birth and Jacob had returned the favor for the birth of Hammond's first child.

Their wives had exchanged Christmas cards many times and while the two men had never served together again in an official capacity, their paths had crossed many times. George had never met Samantha Carter until the day she walked onto his base, but it didn't mean that he didn't feel like he knew her, Jacob had taken great pride in telling George all about his youngest child who had chosen to follow in her father's footsteps.

It wasn't until the day she walked onto his base that he realized he had already met Samantha Carter, all the way back in 1969, not that he knew it at the time or would have told Jacob that.

That day in 1969 had given George a future, a belief that everything they told him about becoming a General would truly happen. Because of that, he had been able to remain calm no matter how bleak the future looked.

And now he felt like he could repay at least two members of that team for what they had done for him.

But considering all the trouble SG-1 gave him, one Colonel in particular, George didn't feel too bad about making him work for it.

--

"But General," Jack objected, "The regulation manual only has to be reviewed once every two years, and it was reviewed last year."

"The President wants to know the effect that several rule changes have had on the SGC. You'll find a list of the changes made to the previous version included in the memo I sent you. Just give an honest opinion Colonel on if you believe the rule change has had a positive, neutral, or negative effect on the operation of the SGC," Hammond ordered.

Jack opened his mouth to say something else only to have Hammond cut him off again.

"And I know for a matter of fact that you have no excuses for not doing this. You are all caught up on your paperwork and have no missions scheduled while Major Carter and Doctor Jackson complete projects of their own. I expect to have the full report on my desk by Friday Colonel O'Neill. Dismissed!" Hammond ordered.

Jack quickly snapped his mouth shut and performed a parade perfect turn.

George had to work to hide his smile until the Colonel departed.

'This is going to be a fun week,' he thought to himself, wondering just how long it would take for the Colonel to reach the middle of this list where the change in the fraternization regulations was listed.

--

Paperwork was something that Jack O'Neill hated to do. In fact, a visit from Anise or an army of Jaffa was almost preferable to doing paperwork.

Almost.

"Carter," he begged, "Please, please help me out with this. I'm drowning in paperwork here."

Sam tried to hide her amusement at the man's obvious over exaggeration. "Sir I have my own work to do, which is why General Hammond assigned this project to you instead of me."

"Carter," Jack pleaded, using his best puppy dog eyes.

Sam patted him on the shoulder. "I'll tell you what sir, if you ever feel like you really are going to drown in your paperwork, give me a call."

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed, punching the air with his fist in victory.

"And I'll have Teal'c come bail you out," Sam finished with a look of innocence on her face.

Jack's jaw dropped. "Carter!"

Sam laughed and walked towards the door of her lab. "Cake Colonel?"

Jack shook his head at her in disbelief and followed Sam out of her lab, leaving the pile of paperwork, including the revised regulation manual sitting on Sam's desk.

--

The next morning Sam walked into her lab and found the pile of paperwork that the Colonel had brought with him when he had come to bug her the day before. She scanned through the sheet on the top of the pile.

It was a memo.

And it listed every change that had been made to the previous year's SGC regulation book.

And right smack dab in the middle of the list was the section that pertained to the fraternization regulations.

Sam quickly grabbed for the rule book that was under the memo and flipped to the necessary section. She read through it quickly.

Then she read it again just to make sure that she hadn't misunderstood the first time.

"Holy Hannah!" Sam whispered as she set the book down.

"What are you up to now Carter? Discover a new element?" Jack asked as he walked into the lab.

"Uh no sir. I just realized something. I gotta go," she said, quickly grabbing a bunch of papers, none of which pertained to what she was about to do.

"That was strange," Jack said aloud to himself. He looked around the room and shrugged before sitting down and digging into the pile of work in front of him.

--

"Sir… I have a request for you," Sam said as she stood in front of General Hammond.

"Oh? What might that be Major?" Hammond asked with a raised eyebrow.

"IwanttopursuearelationshipwithmyCO," Sam quickly said in a rush of words.

Hammond knew exactly what she was saying, but couldn't help leading her on, even if she had just won him the bet with Jacob. "What was that Major?"

"I want to pursue a relationship with my CO, Colonel O'Neill," Sam repeated and then waited to see what kind of reaction the General would have.

"About time," George Hammond said, "Though I didn't expect Jack to talk you into helping him out this early with his project."

Sam blushed. "He didn't sir. I saw the changes when I was cleaning up all the papers he left spread all over my desk."

Hammond was quiet for a long time, trying to figure out what this meant as far as the bet went. Realizing that Sam was still waiting for a response he finally said, "Request approved Major, just make sure that you and the Colonel keep it professional while on duty."

Sam smiled and turned towards the door before turning back around once more. "I'd appreciate if you'd keep this quiet General, I'd rather not have the entire base getting involved in my relationship with Colonel O'Neill before we've even discussed it," Sam requested.

George nodded. He could understand that. "I can do that for you," he agreed.

Sam turned to leave only to have General Hammond suggest one more thing to her. "You might want to call him Jack when you talk to him though Sam. Just a suggestion."

Sam smiled and ducked her head in embarrassment. "I probably should, shouldn't I sir," Sam agreed.

--

General Hammond was almost ready to call it a day when Colonel Jack O'Neill came rushing into his office.

"Sir, request permission to take Carter out on a date," he said in rush of words that was only slightly more understandable then Sam's tirade earlier in the day.

This time, George didn't even bother to beat around the bush. He had a date with his granddaughters. "Permission granted son."

But Jack just kept on talking. "I'll fill out whatever forms you need me to sir, and I promise you that this won't affect SG-1," Jack assured him quickly. "In fact-"

"Jack," Hammond cut him off, "I said yes, now get out. I'd like to leave before an emergency occurs that keeps me from seeing my granddaughters."

Jack was still trying to find his voice when Walter placed some folders in the General's inbox ten minutes later.

--

Jack drove to Sam's house and parked his truck right behind her Volvo. He went to the front door and rang the bell, but got no response. He started to go around to the back when one of the neighbors called, "Sam left on her bike about an hour ago. Said she had to meet a guy."

Jack waved his hand in acknowledgement. He stalked back to his truck kicking himself for not reading the new manual sooner. After all this time, all the waiting and hoping that they would have a 'someday', the day Sam finally decided to 'get a life' was the day Jack discovered that he could date his 2IC and no one, not even her father, could or would stop him.

He briefly thought about calling up Daniel and Teal'c to see if they wanted to come over for a 'guys night' and quickly decided against it, remembering that Daniel was up to his ears in some new translations. Nothing Jack offered would pull Daniel away from his rocks tonight!

Instead, he pulled into his driveway, resigned to spending the night alone when he realized there was a motorcycle parked in front of his garage, preventing him from pulling in.

A very familiar motorcycle.

He looked around for the owner and finally spotted her sitting on his front porch. Jack rushed over to greet her.

"What are you doing here Carter?" he demanded gruffly.

Surprise then hurt quickly flashed over her face before she quickly hid it under her military mask. "I needed to talk to you… Jack," she said softly.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be tonight?"

Sam looked confused for a few seconds before shaking her head no.

"Oh."

"Can we go in and talk?" Sam asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Oh. Yeah," Jack said unlocking the door and pushing it open. "Beer?" he asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Sure," Sam said as she followed him.

Jack opened a beer and handed it to her. "So what did you need to talk to me about Carter?" he asked.

"Sam," Sam corrected. "Just this once, can we talk as Sam and Jack, two people who happen to work together and be friends?"

For the first time since he had left General Hammond's office, Jack felt like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. Maybe Sam knew the same thing that he did. Maybe. "Sure Saaaam," Jack said drawling out her name which got a smile. "Come on, I've got the perfect place to talk," he offered.

Jack led Sam around to the side of his house and up the ladder. The stars sparkled in the sky.

"This is great," she said sitting down next to him.

"Yeah."

"So… I read something interesting today," Sam began.

"Funny, so did I," Jack injected.

"Yeah, well mine was about the SGC and the regulations that pertain to the base."

"So was mine," Jack added.

"The Frat regs," Sam clarified.

"Me too."

By this time, the two of them were looking at each other as if trying to figure out if they both thinking the same thing. Sam was studying Jack, trying to figure out exactly what he was thinking while Jack was admiring her. He had given up years ago trying to figure out what Samantha Carter was thinking.

"I want to take it out of the room," Sam finally said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, "Because once we decide to take it out of that room, we can never put it back in."

"I'm sure," Sam said, injecting more confidence into her voice then what she really felt. "Are you sure?"

Jack chuckled. "You have to ask? Carter, there are millions; probably billions of men out there that would be better for you then me. But if in your infinite brilliance, you think I'm the right one, who am I to question that? Besides, it's always been up to you Sam. You and the Air Force that is. Neither of us could give up one for the other, so if I can have them both… I want them both," he finally concluded.

Jack watched as Sam closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, she pounced, knocking him backwards as she kissed him.

It was just the start of a relationship full of stolen moments.

--

Finding time to be together was hard, especially since neither of them was willing to tell anyone that they were 'dating', well except Teal'c, Daniel, and Janet. They both agreed that a relationship was hard enough without the expectations of those at the SGC bearing down on them.

So the base, and pretty much any place in Colorado Springs was off limits.

Which meant lots of days and nights watching movies, stargazing, or, surprisingly talking.

It turned out that while Jack O'Neill would almost never talk about his feelings, he was more then willing to recall memories of his childhood, or even on occasion, memories of Charlie.

Not to say that it was always easy. There were days they fought, but they tried hard to leave work at work and their home life at home.

It had taken a week after Sam had pretty much moved into his house for Jack to realize he didn't want to wake up ever again without having her in his arms.

Thinking that it was too soon to be thinking about that, Jack shoved the thought of marriage from his mind.

Until one of the other teams didn't come back from a mission.

Jack couldn't imagine leaving Sam like that, but as he consoled the wife of one of the young lieutenants, he realized just how important it was that she knew just what she meant to him.

"We were only married six months, but it was the best six months of my life," she sobbed into his chest.

It looked like Jack was going ring shopping, because if he died someday, he wanted to make sure she knew how much she meant to him.

They had said 'I love you', had discussed having children in the very vaguest of terms.

"I'm not sure I can have them," Sam had said worriedly.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Jack had assured her.

But marriage?

That wasn't a topic that had come up.

Not even once.

Knowing that he had Jacob's approval made him feel better, but still Jack planned an open ended proposal, one that left everything up to Sam.

Climbing into bed one night not long after loosing an entire team at the SGC, Jack handed her a box. "I don't want you to ever doubt that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. And when you're ready to do that, I want you to wear this," Jack said.

"Okay," Sam said, accepting the box with both hands. She wanted to open it but there was no way she was going to do it with Jack watching. She might not have been 'in' to jewelry but she knew what size boxes engagement rings came in, and the box she had just been given was too large for a ring. More likely it held a necklace and a pair of earrings, neither of which Sam would be able to look at without letting a show of disappointment spread across her face.

So she set the box aside and cuddled into Jack. She pretended to be asleep and waited until he drifted off before she slowly got out of bed, taking the box with her to the bathroom. She shut the door and turned on the light.

She dropped to the floor, which was hard and uncomfortable, but was her only seating option in the corner of the room farthest from the bedroom.

She opened the box and gasped.

Inside the box wasn't a necklace.

Or earrings.

Or a bracelet.

But three rings.

A set of matching wedding bands and an engagement ring.

Carefully, she pulled the engagement ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger.

It fit perfectly.

She pulled it off to examine it closer. The seven diamonds arranged in the white gold sparkled in the limited light of the bathroom. 'Always and Forever' was inscribed on the inside of the band.

Sam felt her insides melt as she realized exactly what Jack had meant.

And why he had done it in that way.

Jack hadn't wanted to pressure her, Sam realized. He didn't want her to feel like she had to say 'yes'. Jack wanted Sam to truly be ready for marriage if she wore this ring.

He hadn't wanted to pressure her for an answer.

What Jack didn't know was that Sam would have said 'yes' in an instant.

Which was why she put the ring back on her finger, where it belonged, closed the box, turned the light off, opened the bathroom door, put the box back on the nightstand, and climbed into bed with Jack, smiling the entire time as she pictured his reaction when he discovered the ring on her finger.

--

Jack woke up the next morning to find a situation that he had just started to get used to. He was cold on all but one side because Sam had stolen all the covers and was buried into his side, the only side of him that was warm.

Her hands clutched at the blankets as he tried to pull some of them his way, only to stop when the sunlight reflected off of something on her hand, causing it to sparkle in the early morning light.

Jack reached for her hand slowly, trying not to get his hopes up. He had been disappointed when she hadn't opened the box the night before, but he had promised himself that he wasn't going to push her. When she decided to open the box and wear the ring, then he would know she was ready for marriage. She didn't need him to explain to her what the rings in that box signified.

Sure enough, Jack realized as he examined the ring on her hand, Sam was wearing his engagement ring. Suddenly, being cold didn't matter any more.

Because some time during the night, he had gotten engaged.

Jack smiled and laid his head back down on the pillow, content to watch his fiancé sleep until she woke up.


	9. Pretending to be something you're not

Pretending to be something you're not

AN: Thanks to Eternal Density for the idea that led to this particular scenario!

Sam twirled the ring on her finger, wondering what people would think if they walked in to see her so absorbed in thought over a simple piece of jewelry.

A simple piece of jewelry in the form of ring that should have been discarded by now, or at least returned.

The President had requested that Sam and Jack go undercover- together. As in, they were an 'item'. Sam had a feeling that if anyone but the President had made the request, the Colonel would have flat out refused, probably using some choice words in the process.

But he hadn't and neither had she. So undercover they had gone as Samantha Jackson and Jack Hamilton. Supposedly, Sam was currently involved in some ultra-top-secret project guaranteed to make her millions in addition to the riches she already had. Jack was her military boyfriend who also happened to be involved in said project.

Neither had complained about their cover stories, well at least not too loudly in hearing distance of the other.

Sam's biggest concern was how they were supposed to pull off the job of convincing everyone at the resort that they were a couple without overstepping the boundaries set by the Air Force while also setting the two of them up as the seller of 'ultra-top-secret' government secrets. They even had Sam mock up some schematics.

Sam had the most fun that she'd had since she built the naquadah generator drawing up something that ended up looking like a cross between a toaster and a DHD. She just hoped that they were good enough to fool whoever would be looking at them.

It turned out that the schematics weren't a problem and neither was the supposed relationship between Sam and Jack. Well except the one little hitch in whoever had come up with the plan.

/Flashback/

"The signal for the spy to contact us is a proposal?" Jack yelled into the secure cell phone, complaining to which ever one of their 'contacts' had been given the nasty job of informing them of this piece of information which had been clearly left out of their pre-mission briefing.

Meanwhile, Sam tried to figure out how she was supposed to feel about this.

Samantha Jackson's heart was singing with joy at the realization there was no way that Jack Hamilton, played by Jack O'Neill, would be able to get out of proposing to her that evening.

On the other hand, Samantha Carter was scared for the first time in recent memory. Give her a Kull warrior, an army of Jaffa, or even a damp, dark prison cell any day over trying to figure out her emotions, especially where Jack O'Neill was involved.

If it had just been Jack O'Neill proposing to Sam Carter, it would have taken her all of three seconds for her to tackle him to the ground, kiss him silly, and say 'yes'.

But this wasn't Jack O'Neill proposing to Sam Carter.

It was Jack Hamilton proposing to Samantha Jackson.

So Sam was going to have to play along like she was the surprised and happy newly engaged woman that Samantha Jackson would have been.

/End Flashback/

Looking back, Sam thought she had managed to pull off the appropriate response to the proposal Jack had hastily thrown together.

/Flashback/

Jack had invited her to dance, something that he had never done during their previous two nights at the resort. They had danced, but it had always been initiated by Sam, and never for long than a few songs.

When one of the slow songs came to an end, the band didn't immediately begin another song. Instead, the spot light which had previously been focused on the band was now directed towards the middle of the dance floor, where Sam and Jack happened to be standing.

Without prelude, Jack dropped to one knee and whipped a ring box from his pocket.

'I wonder where he got that from so fast,' Sam thought for an instant before she turned all of her attention to listening to Jack.

"…and it doesn't matter that I can't understand most of what you say half the time. Actually it's probably more like I can't understand half of what you say most of the time," Jack chuckled and the crowd that was eagerly watching joined in.

"You mean the world to me and I would give you the stars and the moon if I could because you deserve them. You'd make me the happiest man in the world if you'd agree to be my wife. Samantha… will you marry me?" Jack finally asked.

Sam didn't answer him.

Instead, she leaned down and pulled him to his feet before she kissed him.

A kiss that brought cheers, whoops, and whistles from their audience.

When a lack of air forced them apart, Sam was so dazed by the kiss that she barely noticed Jack slipping the ring on her finger.

To everyone else, they looked like a happy, newly engaged couple as they stood gazing into each other's eyes.

In reality, they were trying to figure out what the other was thinking and worrying about everything that hadn't happened in the past few minutes.

'He never said he loved me,' Sam thought.

'She never said yes,' Jack reflected.

Still, they both managed to smile as they danced to a couple more songs, one of which the band dedicated to the newly engaged couple before departing for their room.

/End Flashback/

Their mission had moved so fast from that point that they never had the opportunity to discuss their feelings and how they would deal with the things they had to do to 'get the job done'.

Pretending to be a couple hadn't been too hard. An occasional kiss on the cheek and an increase in the number of the 'innocent' touches they had often engaged in off base was all it had taken for everyone to believe that they truly were a couple.

And Sam was convinced that had that been all they had needed to do; they would have been able to return to work, brushing off their gestures as nothing more then a mission 'necessity', much like the marriages Sam occasionally endured on off-world missions to keep her from being 'claimed' by some native.

But getting engaged had thrown those plans out the window.

And brought to the forefront the issue of sharing a bed.

The first night they had been there, Jack had suggested they take turns sleeping in the king sized bed and taking the couch, and not wanting to argue, Sam had agreed.

Until one of their new 'friends' had come knocking after the first night and had commented on why

/Flashback/

"Did you two have an argument?" Jarred asked with interest, gesturing towards the discarded blanket and pillow on the couch.

"Uh… yeah," Jack was quick to say before Sam had to come up with something. Believe it or not, he actually had experience with being kicked out of bed and could probably come up with a cover story better then Sam.

Luckily Jarred didn't seem interested in knowing what they had fought about as he was in getting Jack to play a round of golf with him.

Still, that led to a revision in the sleeping arrangements.

They got ready for bed, which actually meant Jack was changing while Sam had sole possession of the bathroom before they traded places. Sam stood in front of the bathroom door, nervously wringing her hands.

Jack opened the door and came to a skidding halt to avoid running into her.

"We have to share the bed tonight," Sam blurted out and then blushed at the audacity of her statement.

Jack was glad that he hadn't been the one forced to bring this up, but he had been thinking the same thing. "I was thinking the same thing," Jack admitted.

"So…"

"The way I see it, we've slept in tighter quarters then this before. I mean, our tents are smaller then this right?" Jack asked and Sam nodded in confirmation. Jack walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"So we shouldn't have a problem sharing it, right?" he asked as he bounced up and down on it a few times like he was five years old again.

Sam giggled and headed for 'her' side of the bed, feeling slightly more relaxed.

Even though they both had agreed to share, they each hugged the edge of the bed as the drifted off to sleep.

So waking up the next morning to find themselves intertwined had come as quite a shock. Jack's hands where touching Sam's skin in places that he had never seen, and were dangerously close to touching skin that a woman's CO should never, ever touch.

For Sam's part, she was half laying on top of Jack, her head resting on his chest, and one leg between his.

That particular experience was repeated every night and morning thereafter, in some form, even after Jack began sleeping on top of the sheet to avoid putting his hands where they shouldn't have been.

No matter how hard the two of them tried to stay on opposite sides of the bed, they always ended up rolled together in the middle.

Every.

Single.

Time.

Jack was convinced that whatever real god was out there was trying to torment him by waving the one thing he wanted most and couldn't have right under his nose.

Sam knew she was enjoying it way too much considering as soon as this mission was over, she was going to have to go back to sleeping all alone in her own bed.

/End Flashback/

The suddenness with which their mission ended meant that Sam and Jack didn't have any time to sit and discuss anything until after they returned to the mountain and had been granted the leave that Hammond had already promised them.

/Flashback/

"Good work, both of you," Hammond congratulated the two officers. "The President was happy to hear that the potential threat to the United States and more specifically, the SGC had been eliminated. I'm supposed to remind the two of you that the offer for dinner at the White House is still open, along with the rest of SG-1 if you're ever in Washington."

"Not if I can help it," Jack said sarcastically.

Hammond gave him a look which basically said 'shut up so we can get this over with or I might change my mind about giving you leave'. "Do either of you have anything to add to the report you already filed?" he asked.

"No sir," they both responded.

"In that case… enjoy your leave. I'll see you in a week," Hammond said, waving them both off in a form of dismissal.

Jack rushed from the room, but Sam remained behind.

"I just want you to know General," Sam began, "That I stand by everything I included in my report, right down to the last page."

General Hammond had looked at her confused for a moment before pulling her report from one of the piles in front of him. He flipped to the last page of the rather bulky document and quickly gazed through it. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I can't go back, not that I'm sure where I'm going from here, but going back isn't an option," Sam admitted.

Major General George Hammond nodded. "I'll see that this gets processed immediately," he promised.

Sam smiled as a way of saying 'thank you' and retreated to her lab.

/End Flashback/

So now Sam sat, constantly spinning the ring around her finger, wondering what she was going to do now.

There was nothing to stop her from chasing after Jack O'Neill.

There was no reason she couldn't go fishing with him, if he asked, that was.

And still, she sat in her lab wondering if 'someday' had finally arrived.

It wasn't Jack O'Neill who interrupted her thoughts, but Daniel Jackson.

"Do you have the…" he asked as he walked into her lab. "He finally asked you? That's great!" he exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"The ring," Daniel explained, grabbing her hand to get a closer look at it. "I found it in Jack's desk about a year ago and when I asked him about it, he said it had been his grandma's and he was holding on to it for the day when he could use it to ask you to marry him."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Daniel said slightly confused. "That ring did come from Jack didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," Sam said slowly. She got up and gave Daniel a quick hug. "I gotta go," she called over her shoulder as she ran from the room.

She had a plane to catch to Minnesota to see a man about some fishing.

Sam rushed through packing and calling the airport, only to find out the next plane wouldn't be leaving for several hours. She made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch the plane to Minnesota and when she landed again, she realized she had no clue where Jack's cabin was even at.

So while she filled out the paperwork to rent an SUV, she resolved that problem with a call to Teal'c, who was able to give her surprisingly detailed directions of how to get there.

Meanwhile, Jack O'Neill had arrived at his cabin only a few hours before and after spending an hour unloading everything, was now packing it all back up. He planned to leave the following morning and go back to Colorado Springs. He had left Sam a large sticky note on her computer that said 'Gone fishing. Join me? Call me. J.'

He had given her 24 hours to call him and she hadn't, which could only mean she didn't want to talk to him.

Or go fishing.

They had both always known what 'fishing' really meant.

He had told himself that each refusal would be the last one, and this time it was. He just needed to hand in his resignation to General Hammond, and his latest mission would officially be his last.

'At least if I retire,' he thought, 'I'll never have to see her again.'

Which was why he was packing only the items he would need for a quick trip back to the SGC. He would soon be back at his cabin ready to live out the rest of his life as a lonely fisherman.

But all of that would have to wait until morning because right now Colonel Jack O'Neill (soon to be retired) was going to sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was just starting to get light out when Sam made the last turn onto what she hoped was the road that led to Jack's cabin. The road had long since turned from blacktop to dirt and narrowed to only one lane.

So when Sam's SUV met up with a truck, both vehicles stopped, looking for a place that one of them could pull off to let the other by.

At least until each driver realized who was in the other vehicle.

That was how they ended up parked in the middle of the 'road', standing between the two vehicles.

"So…" Sam said.

"Why didn't you call me like I asked you to?" Jack asked softly.

"When did you ask me to call you?"

"On the note," Jack clarified.

"What note?"

"The one I left on your computer that told you I was going fishing and asked you to join me or call me," Jack explained.

"I never saw it."

"Oh. So what are you doing here?" Jack asked.

Sam shuffled her feet a little bit. "I was kind of hoping to give fishing a try."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Sam confirmed, looking up to try and read the expression on his face. "And I wanted to ask you about this ring," Sam added, handing over the ring that become hers during their undercover mission.

"What did you want to ask me about it?" Jack questioned, not taking the ring from Sam's outstretched hand.

"How long have you had it?" Sam asked.

"A while."

Sam raised an eyebrow, telling Jack that his answer wasn't satisfying her curiosity.

"Years."

"Daniel said it belonged to your grandmother."

"It did."

"You should have it back. It's a family heirloom. It should remain in the family."

Jack hesitated. "I was kind of hoping that you'd be willing to hold on to it _and_ keep it in the family at the same time."

"Huh?"

Now it was Jack's turn to shuffle his feet and find the ground interesting. "That last mission… the undercover mission…"

"Yeah."

"Everything that happened between the two people we were pretending to be, I want that to happen between us."

"Um… wow… that's…"

"I'm not saying that it has to happen right now," Jack hurriedly said as he watched Sam stumble for her words, "But just that… I guess that… nothing has changed on my part from what we said in that room. Except maybe… no definitely… gotten stronger."

Jack paused before tacking on, "Iloveyou," all in one breath.

Sam had flown to Minnesota and driven to Jack's cabin, all with the intent of figuring out if they had a future together. She had rehearsed exactly what she was going to say to him, but right this second, she couldn't come up with anymore more intelligent to say then, "Huh."

Jack took her lack of response to mean that he had totally stepped over the line as her CO and she had no idea how to gently let him down. "Never mind," he insisted, snatching the ring from Sam's outstretched hand. "I'll back-up and let you get around so you can get turned around. I was headed back to Colorado Springs to quickly take care of some business before returning here."

Jack walked towards his truck only to have Sam call after him.

"Do you mind if I stay at your cabin until you get back?" Sam asked. "I've got this sudden desire to learn how to fish."

Jack slowly turned around, one hand still on the door of his pickup.

"And do you think I could have that ring back to," she tacked on. "I think I've gotten used to wearing it."

The corners of Jack's mouth began to turn up as he tried to fight off a smile. "Do you think you could get used to wearing it for a long time?"

"How long?"

Jack took a step towards Sam. "I was thinking something along the lines of forever."

"Huh. I don't think I could get used to wearing that ring for forever," Sam responded. "I know I could. I know I could even get used to wearing a second ring. The question is could you get used to wearing just one ring?"

Jack composed his face into an expression of deep thought. "Oh I'm pretty sure that one ring won't be a problem. It seems to me that if you can put up with wearing two, I should be able to wear one without a problem," Jack explained, causing Sam to giggle. "Nope, I just have one question for you."

Jack paused for dramatic effect.

"Does this mean that I can sleep _underneath_ the sheet again?"

Samantha Carter, soon to be O'Neill, didn't even grace his question with an answer, choosing instead to giggle as she walked up to him and kissed him senseless.

When they finally broke for air, Sam said, "Yes you can sleep under the sheets, yes I'll marry you, and yes I'll go fishing with you. Is that good enough for you?"

"That's just about perfect," Jack assured her with a smile as he slipped the ring on her finger.

So in the middle of a dirt road in the backwoods of Minnesota, Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter got engaged, each of them hearing exactly what had been missing the first time around.


	10. Bodyswapping!

Bodyswaping!

AN: The idea of body swapping came from Eternal Density and this story was born. If anyone else has a prompt, scenario, or suggestion feel free to share and I'll try to write it!

"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" Jack O'Neill asked from the body of his 2IC Samantha Carter.

"Because someone had to trade with me sir," Sam responded in a voice that belonged to Jack O'Neill, "And Teal'c was out because he's a Jaffa and I didn't trust one of the natives or Jonas…"

"Which left me," Jack grumbled.

"It's only for 24 hours sir," Sam reminded him.

"That's 24 hours too long Major," Jack complained.

Sam chose to ignore her CO's complaints, after all her position wasn't much better than his! So she returned to gathering more samples of the naquadah.

/Flashback/

"Well Colonel, the Igratins require that the people they trade with undergo a test before they'll negotiate," Jonas explained.

"Okay…" Jack said slowly, "What kind of test?" he asked suspiciously

Jonas swallowed nervously and took a step backwards, away from the Colonel and his 2IC. "Two members of our team have to swap bodies; at least that's the correct translation from what Elmhair is saying."

"Can't you just tell Elmer that we've been there and done that already, test passed," Jack suggested.

Jonas shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Colonel. Elmhair was very clear that we had to use their machine and be kept under constant observation to see how the 'pair' deals with the change."

"Anything else we should know?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Um… yes… Major Carter has to be one of those people, something about their rules of equality between genders here," Jonas added tentatively, taking another step away from the two military officers.

Jack turned to Sam. "See what happens when we go somewhere where the natives don't think you're property!" he exclaimed.

/End Flashback/

So Sam was once more put in a position where she had to show that she could tough it out just as well as her CO. She was just thankful that the 'exchange of bodies' only took 24 hours and that the Igratins had assured them that they could and would be returned right on schedule, along with a pair of their own people who were undergoing the same 'exchange'.

According to Jonas the 'exchange of bodies' was a tradition that proceeded the formation of a trading agreement with the people of this planet. Each village that came to trade with the Igratins sent a 'pair' who would be the official 'ambassadors' for the duration of their lives. If one of the 'pair' died, then a new pair would be selected and sent to the village. The Igratins would also select a new pair and trade relations would be renewed for another generation.

It sounded rather complicated to Sam, but she was glad to hear that someone would not be forced to switch bodies every time a team from Earth came to trade, and given the large amount of naquadah they had discovered, there would be quite a bit of trading going on.

While trading bodies had been strange, even more so for Sam than Jack, given that he already had experienced that with Teal'c, some of the other requirements were even more difficult on him.

/Flashback/

Elmhair, the leader of the Igratins began speaking, and Jonas translated.

"You will share a traditional hut and wear traditional clothes. You may eat only traditional foods," he explained.

Jack shrugged. "No worse then some of the other places we've been."

Sam nodded in agreement. The Igratins brought out the clothing, showing each of them exactly what they would be wearing.

"Nice dress Carter. Almost as good as that blue one," Jack said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Sam smiled as Teal'c spoke.

"O'Neill, I believe it is you that will look good in this dress, will he not Major Carter?"

Jack's smile disappeared and Sam giggled.

"Just be glad there isn't a headdress Colonel," Sam reminded him and watched as his frown grew, causing her to giggle more.

The frown only grew more as they saw the hut they were supposed to share, which of course had only one rather small bed. The food wasn't actually that bad, and the bed was surprisingly comfortable. But everything about the experience had been weird.

But it had been weird in a good way.

Like when they each woke up next to someone for the first time in a while and were initially shocked. But they each pretended to still be asleep so they could enjoy the feeling for a few more minutes.

Or when they discovered that the food and drink they had been given kept them from needing to use the bathroom for the entire 24 hour period, hence negating some of the possibly embarrassing moments that could occur.

/End Flashback/

In fact, on the Jack O'Neill Scale of Weirdness, switching bodies for a day with your 2IC ranked somewhere around a 5, with aliens with glowing eyes being a one and trees that talked a 10.

So the mission really wasn't that weird.

Or difficult.

But the return from the planet was.

"But Doc," Jack protested, "We're perfectly fine. See," he said jumping up and down to emphasize his point, "All here. My knees don't even hurt that bad."

"You have had your consciousness transferred to another body and then back again- without any medical oversight during that time. You will permit me to run as many tests as I want and you will spend the night in the infirmary Colonel," Doctor Janet Fraiser declared.

"But Doc-"

"Do you want to try for two?" Janet asked.

Sam tried hard to muffle her chuckle at the pouting look that had appeared on her CO's face, but was unable to do so.

"The same goes for you Sam," Janet said as she pulled the curtain around Jack's bed so she could begin the first of the many tests Sam was sure her friend had planned for them.

Jack was seeming sucked dry by Count Fraiser, lost his favorite yo-yo to Sam in a poker game, and ate two really, really bad meals in the infirmary before Janet happily threw Jack out of the infirmary.

"You're fine Colonel, better then fine actually. Bodyswapping, in this instance, seems to have had the same effects as a sarcophagus, just without any negative side effects. That being said, you start feeling weird, different, wrong, anything- you call me immediately," Janet ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Jack said giving her a lazy salute as he hoped off the bed and quickly headed for the door before the doctor changed her mind. "Meet me for cake when you're done Carter?" he asked.

"Sure Colonel," Sam said with a smile.

Janet waited until he was out the door before motioning Sam to her office.

"So…"

"There's nothing but good news for you Sam. As you heard me tell the Colonel, it seems like whatever machine they used acted like a sarcophagus. You can't even see the Colonel's latest knee injury in his MRI," Janet explained.

"So what's the good news?" Sam asked curiously.

"Actually, I don't have good news for you, but I would like to run some more tests specifically to see what effect this machine has had on your ability to have children," Janet stated.

"Janet," Sam said, "We've run those tests more times than I care to count, and every time they come back the same. A big fat no. Each time we think that things might have changed, and each time it hasn't. I can't keep doing this."

Janet nodded her head in understanding. "I know Sam, it's just… call me a romantic, but I just don't want you to give up if there's even the slightest chance of you having children."

/Flashback/

"So if you both feel that way, why haven't either of you pursued a relationship?" Janet asked.

"I can see giving up a dream for a fantasy," Sam stated.

"What?"

Sam was silent for a few seconds as she searched for the right words to explain her logic. "It's like this; I gave up my dream of being an astronaut for the Stargate Program, so being part of the SGC became my dream. I'm literally living my dream right now, being on SG-1 and everything. Having a family and someone to come home to? That's a fantasy, and in order for me to get that, I would have to give up my dream come true."

"You wouldn't have to give it up," Janet objected. "There's a lot of people that go through the gate who have families."

"And how many of them are women?" Sam asked rhetorically. "None of them, besides, I'm not sure I'd want to keep going through the gate, at least as part of SG-1 after I had a child. I lost my mom as a teenager and I wouldn't want to put my child through the same thing."

"I'm sorry Sam, I forgot all about that," Janet apologized.

Sam waved off her apology. "It doesn't matter, right now the Colonel and I are both fighting a war and until one of us leaves the military, we're stuck with being just friends."

"One of you could transfer," Janet pointed out.

Sam shook her head. "We'd have to leave the SGC. Think about it, he's the 2IC of the base Janet. There is no way for me to get out of his chain of command even if I transferred to the labs or another team."

"True."

"Maybe if there was the possibility of having children, I'd consider leaving the military but when the only benefit of a relationship is having someone to come home to, I can't see taking that leap," Sam explained.

Janet just patted Sam's arm in understanding. No words could convey the appropriate sentiment to make Sam feel better.

/End Flashback/

"Okay, but this is the last time," Sam relented. "I can't keep going through this, and I don't mind waiting for the Colonel to retire. I've already waited six years for our first date, what's a few more years?"

Janet smiled at Sam's attempted joke, silently hoping that the tests would come back with much better news than the previous times.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

When the results came back, just like the other times, Janet took Sam into her office.

"So what's the news this time?" Sam asked.

Janet smiled. "You know that letter of resignation you've had sitting in your desk for three plus years now? You might want to pull it out and use it this time," she suggested.

Sam's eyes opened wide in shock. "You're sure?"

"Take a look for yourself," Janet offered, flipping on the backlight behind the MRI images. "You can see the difference."

Sam gaped at the difference in the scans. Janet was right, there was an obvious difference. Suddenly it dawned on her just what this meant. "I can have kids," she whispered.

"I see no reason why you couldn't, provided of course that you went off birth control. Just getting pregnant could take some time," Janet cautioned. "You've been on birth control for a while… and these kinds of things take time in general, not just in your case."

Sam was quiet as she took everything in. "Now that we know I can do it, I guess the question is should I?"

"Samantha Carter!" Janet exclaimed. "If there is anyone I know deserves to have, what did you call it, your 'fantasy' come true, it's you. And Colonel O'Neill is a close second."

Sam got up and started to pace the length of the room. "And what am I supposed to do? Just resign my commission and hope that the Colonel still wants everything we talked about a year ago?"

"Well you could do that," Janet began, "Or you could talk to him before you did anything. At least that way you'd know if he was still interested."

The sounds of klaxons and the announcement of "Unscheduled off world activation" ended their discussion and sent both women running for the gateroom.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

When Colonel Jack O'Neill stopped by his 2IC's lab to kick her out, he found it dark and locked, which was strange considering she never ever left before him, at least not that he could remember.

What was even more surprising was finding her sitting on his front porch when he got home.

He looked at her, wondering what was going on that required an unannounced and unscheduled visit to his house.

"We need to talk," Sam blurted out.

"You know, those are a guy's least favorite words," Jack joked.

Sam smiled slightly and followed him into the house, sitting down in the living room while Jack got the two of them beers.

"So what's on your mind Carter?" Jack wondered aloud.

"I've been thinking-"

"Big surprise there!"

Sam huffed.

"Sorry, continue please Major."

"I've been thinking," Sam began again, "About resigning my commission and taking a position at the SGC as a civilian."

"Ok-ay. Any specific reason why?" Jack asked.

"It's a bunch of things, most importantly something that happened on our last mission-"

"What happened on our last mission?" Jack demanded, sitting up straighter and looking at his 2IC.

"It wasn't anything bad," Sam quickly assured him. "It was actually really, really good, at least in my opinion," she said nervously.

"What happened?" Jack asked again.

"You know how Janet said she couldn't see any evidence of your latest knee injury?"

Jack nodded, just barely able to contain the urge to grab Sam's shoulders and shake her until she told him exactly what was going on.

"The machine healed me," Sam stated and quickly continued after seeing Jack's confused expression. "Janet started studying what effect Stargate travel had on women, specifically reproduction not long after she joined the SGC. That was when she discovered there was something wrong with me and I couldn't have kids. Since then, she's continued to run tests checking to see if by some chance one thing or another had fixed things. This time, the results showed that the damage was gone."

"That's great news Carter," Jack said, still confused as to why she was sharing this with him. He was happy for her, but he didn't see where this played into resigning her commission. "How does this figure into resigning your commission?"

Sam took a deep breath. "After my mom died, Dad wasn't home a lot. I promised myself that if I ever had kids, I would do better. I want to be there for my children. I don't want to miss seeing them grow up."

Jack nodded in understanding. "I can understand," he agreed quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Jack waved her off. "It's okay," he assured her. "I know I was away for a lot of Charlie's early years and that's something I wish I could do over. Definitely something I would change if I ever had kids again."

"Do you want kids again?"

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "That's a loaded question Carter. Would I like kids? Yeah, maybe someday I'd love to be a Dad again. I could fix the things I did wrong the first time around, you know? Is there a chance of me having kids right now? Not a chance in Netu."

"Why not?"

"I'm an old, grumpy, sarcastic, gray haired Air Force Colonel one bad mission away from retirement. Take your pick Carter!"

"Any other arguments then those?" Sam pressed.

"Yeah, I'm kind of single right now," Jack added. "Oh and let's not forget the lack of interested women because of said qualities!"

"Anything else?" Sam paused for a few seconds and then stood up. "Thanks for your help!" She called as she walked out of the room.

A few minutes later Jack heard her car start up and pull away. He was even more confused than when Sam had shown up an hour before. After spending a few minutes trying to puzzle it out, he shrugged his shoulders and flipped on the TV to watch a hockey game.

But no matter how hard he tried to focus on the game, he kept replaying the conversation he had just had in his mind until he couldn't take it any more and picked up the phone to call Daniel.

Only to remember as he got half way through dialing that Daniel wasn't around for him to talk to any more.

So he hung up and hit number two on his speed dial.

And got her voicemail.

Feeling like an idiot, he left a message.

"Hey Carter… Sam, look about what we talked about today, I guess… I just want to say that I hope you're resigning- if you resign- you're doing it for the right reasons. I'm not a complicated guy and you're not a complicated woman, but together… well lets just say there could be difficulties and I just don't want you to regret it."

He took a deep breath and quickly spit out. "If you do decide to resign, let me know first Sam, cause…um… I'd really like to ask you out on a date before anyone else."

Jack quickly hung up the phone before he could sound even more stupid than he already had.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam replayed Jack's message several times, each time smiling and laughing at how every part of the message was him in some way or another.

And how cute he sounded, considering he was way past the age at which he should sound cute.

Sam sat down with two sheets of paper. On one, she began drafting her letter of resignation. On the other, she jotted down notes to herself, already planning her response to Jack's arguments from the day before.

It took almost a month for Sam to make the move from Major and 2IC of SG-1 to Doctor and Head of the Science Department at the SGC. She had also managed to complete the letter she had been composing to Jack and the day that she officially became just Doctor Samantha Carter, she gave it to Jonas with instructions to give it directly to Jack.

Then she waited for him to come find her.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack snatched the letter from Jonas's hands and retreated to his office to read it in private.

_Dear Jack,_ he read.

_You recently told me that you were old, grumpy, sarcastic, gray haired Air Force Colonel one bad mission away from retirement. While all of these might be true for you, let me show you what I see when I look at you._

_I don't see an old man, I see someone who is wise beyond his years. _

_I don't see a grumpy Colonel, but a man who hides his caring, childish nature behind that Air Force mask that he has too many years of practice in using._

_You are sarcastic, but only because you know that I'll smile because of it._

_I don't see a man with gray hair, but someone for whom age has only improved his looks. I like your gray hair. _

_I don't see you being just one bad mission away from retirement, but one good mission away from getting a star._

_But most importantly, I see a man that I want to spend the rest of my life with._

_Yes Jack, you read right, I said the rest of my life. _

_You can go ahead and read it again Jack, but know that I meant every word of it. I'll be waiting for you at your house._

_Love,_

_Sam_

_Oh and Jack, I've known about the ring that's in your desk drawer for years. Whenever you decide to use it would be fine with me._

Jack read the letter several time, each time making it closer to the end than the time before, until he reached the part where she admitted knowing about the ring in his desk drawer.

He shoved the letter in his desk drawer, called in an order to his favorite pizza place, and drove home. He had to see a woman about her plans for the next few months, and maybe for the rest of her life.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack paced in their bedroom.

It had been over six months since they had started dating and he was finally convinced that it was time to make use of the ring that he had been holding on to all this time.

But even though they both knew they loved each other, Jack had been hesitant about asking her to marry him.

/Flashback/

"You've moved in together, sleeping together, pretty much doing everything that a married couple does except without the marriage part, right?" Louis Ferretti asked.

"Yeah."

"Then what are you so worried about?" Ferretti asked. "If she didn't run screaming in the other direction the first time she saw you naked, and she actually wants to have your children, why don't you just marry Sam?"

Jack was silent.

"My gosh Jack, it's the kids thing isn't it?" Ferretti shook his head in halfhearted laughter. "Samantha Carter gave up her career in the military, one in which she probably would have made General, to have a family with you, and you don't even want kids."

"No," Jack quickly corrected. "I want kids, heck I want them with Sam… I just don't want them right now. I don't want to be running around the universe killing false gods while she's at home with the kids. I did that with Sara and Charlie and I won't do it again."

"Is she pregnant?" Ferretti asked suddenly.

Jack's eyes grew big at the mere thought. "Not that I know of."

"Then marry the woman before she smarts up to the fact that she could do much better then you. Talk to Hammond and tell him that once she's pregnant, you're going to be ready to leave the field so he's prepared and then you've got at least six months to set things up for your retirement, transfer, or whatever else you guys figure out," Ferretti suggested. "Besides, it could be a year from now before Sam gets pregnant, especially with your mission schedule."

Jack huffed. The joke around the base was often about SG-1's lack of a mission schedule rather than the fact they had one.

"Presuming that you're actually trying for a baby that is," Ferretti added quietly, "And that you do really want to be a dad."

"I do and we're not, at least not really."

Ferretti shook his head, tossed some money on the table to cover his drink, and patted Jack on the shoulder. "You've got a good thing Jack and if I were you, I'd grab onto it and hang on for dear life."

/End Flashback/

Jack had taken Ferretti's words to heart and had realized that his old friend was right. He did have a good thing with Sam and he really wasn't worried about being a dad again, at least no more then he had been when Sara and he had worked on starting their family.

So now he was left waiting, a ring in his hand, for Sam to come out of the bathroom. He had come home from a four day mission, expecting to find a smiling, happy Sam greeting him.

He had found something else entirely. Sam had been withdrawn, almost scared, from the moment he had walked through the door. It had taken him all through dinner to drag it out of her.

/Flashback/

"I'm late," Sam finally admitted.

Jack took a deep breath as he let that piece of news sink in. Any man who had a girlfriend knew what those words meant. "How? I mean, I thought-"

"We both know that those only work so well Jack. I have a pregnancy test…"

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Go," he said. "I'd rather know for sure then worry about it all weekend."

/End Flashback/

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sam emerged carrying a stick.

"We have to wait a few minutes," Sam explained, setting the stick on the nightstand.

Silence surrounded them.

"I'm sorry," Sam said quietly. "I know that this isn't what you wanted, that you aren't ready for this, and this totally screws up everything."

Jack laughed. "Sam this doesn't mess anything up, other than my plans but that's okay. Sure we weren't exactly trying-"

Sam snorted, interrupting him.

"Well okay, we weren't trying too hard. But I want you to know that I don't care what that test says, I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time," Jack claimed as he opened the ring box with a snap, picking up the ring, and sliding it on her finger.

"Jaaaack-"

Jack silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Samantha Carter, I love you and I'm really, really hoping that you haven't changed your mind about wanting to spend the rest of your life with me because my plans for this weekend are totally trashed if you have."

Sam giggled. This was the Jack O'Neill she had fallen in love with. "What if I'm pregnant?"

"Then we'll have either a really short engagement or a really long one. And if you're not," Jack quickly added, "We'll have to work on making sure you are so that your dad doesn't kill me."

Once more, Sam giggled. "Yes I'll marry you," she said with a nod of her head and a smile.

Jack gave her a quick kiss. "You want to look at that," he asked gesturing towards the test which was still on the nightstand.

Sam picked it up, starred at it for a few seconds and then asked, "What does a positive look like?"

Jack looked at her in disbelief. Here was his fiancé, one of the smartest humans in the universe, if not the smartest, and she couldn't figure out what a positive looked like on a pregnancy test. Jack stood up and walked over to stand behind her. He put his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her stomach.

"Huh."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Oh nothing," Jack said shrugging his shoulders. "Just wondered what you thought about the name Grace if it's a girl."

Jack could tell the instant that Sam connected the dots by the way she relaxed into him.

"Are you sure?"

"Well unless these tests have changed over the years, yep I'm pretty sure that I'll be safe from Dad for at least the next eight months or so."

Sam giggled as she shoved him on the bed. "What are you going to do after the eight months is up?" she asked.

"Guess we'll have to give this little one a sibling. I've found that father-in-laws are much more accepting of their son-in-laws when there's grandchildren involved."

Sam huffed. "Let's see how the first one goes before you start making plans for baby O'Neill number two," she suggested.

"Whatever you say ma'am," Jack agreed as he leaned in to kiss her. "Whatever you say."


	11. Worth the Wait

Worth the Wait

It had taken them too long to get to this point.

Way too long to fulfill a promise.

/Flashback/

After one of Sam's stays in the infirmary, Jack drove her home.

He helped her inside and got her settled into bed. He held her hand, something which they had minimized since the za'tarc test and made her a promise.

"This isn't easy for me," Jack admitted. "I can't promise you anything more then a someday Sam, if we both get there that is."

"I know," Sam said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"No," Jack said shaking his head, "You don't. But I'm promising you that if we get to the end of this war, and we're both still here and single, I'm taking you fishing, giving you a ring, and marrying you before something else comes up."

"I think that's a good enough incentive for me to stay alive," Sam said with a smile as she snuggled under the covers, still holding onto Jack's hand.

When she woke up hours later, he was gone and the only sign that he had ever been there were the fresh groceries and a rather lengthy note, at least by Jack O'Neill standards on her kitchen counter.

_I've never been one for words, so ignore the scribbles and crossed out words as I try to say what I mean._

_I'm promising you a someday._

_A someday where we'll both get that life I've been ordering you to get. One that includes a house with a white picket fence for our dog Thor and the six kids we're going to have._

_A someday where I'll tell you exactly how much you mean to me._

_Until then, hold on to my promise of fishing and some rings._

_Not that I want you to wait forever for that Sam, because I don't. There has to be a man out there that deserves you more than I do – and if you find him, know that I will be happy for you. _

_Don't ever not take that chance at happiness because you're waiting on me._

_Think of me as your safe bet._

Sam read the letter over and over again until she had it memorized. It became her private reminder of what she was fighting for. She locked it away in her desk, where it would be kept safe, right on top of her letter of resignation.

/End Flashback/

Those two sheets of paper came out occasionally after hard days like after Janet's death, her engagement to Pete, and the death of her father and subsequent breakup with Pete. By now the ink was starting to fade and that paper was crinkled, but the words were her constant reminder that she did have a future.

They had started their relationship five years ago, right after the whole team had went fishing at Jack's cabin, but fate seemed to be against them ever getting married, let alone engaged.

First, the President had authorized them "to have a relationship as long as it is carried out in a discreet manner" as it had been so delicately worded in the letter that came to replace her resignation in the locked drawer. Since getting married or even engaged wasn't exactly discreet, Jack and Sam were left with the odd weekends in D.C. or Colorado Springs, and stolen trips to the cabin in Minnesota.

When they were finally given permission to 'quit being discreet', Sam was serving as the CO of Atlantis. Attempts at planning a wedding from another galaxy had been chaotic at best, and an emergency kept Sam from getting there anyway, leaving them with their first canceled wedding.

And engagement, since Jack refused to ask her to marry him and give her the engagement ring until they were up at the cabin for the wedding. He claimed he was "keeping a promise of fishing, a ring, and a wedding." Sam had given up trying to reason with him, and now just rolled her eyes every time he mentioned it.

The second cancellation came a year later when she told Jack in no uncertain terms, "I am not getting married when I look like an elephant." Jack quickly assured her that she would always look beautiful to him. Sam's refusal turned out to be a good thing when they welcomed Emily Charlotte O'Neill to their family on the day that was to have been their wedding day. She was greeted by a large crowd of people, including adopted brothers Zach and Luke who were ages four and six.

Sam still wasn't sure exactly when Jack had asked her opinion on adopting the two boys, but after his retirement from the Air Force he had needed something to do, and as their attempts at having children of their own had been unsuccessful, they had looked into adopting. Zach and Luke had kind of fallen into their laps when one of the SGC teams had found them abandoned off world. Jack had been roped into looking after the boys and before Sam realized it, he had moved them into their house and completed the paperwork for making them O'Neills. Of course, Sam had only pretended to be mad at Jack for two minutes before asking him if adopting older kids was his way of getting around their agreement about him changing diapers and getting up in the middle of the night.

/Flashback/

Jack had just smiled and shrugged his shoulder. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted, "But let's face it, if we want those six kids, having them all be ours biologically would be a little rough, so if we're adopt, I'm going to do my best to get out of the diaper changing and 2 AM feedings."

Sam patted his shoulder and nodded her head in agreement. "Catch up on your sleep while you can because in seven months you're going to need it," she informed him, unable to hide the grin any longer.

Jack's smile could have lit up the Stargate as he whooped and hugged his… girlfriend and almost, kind of fiancé.

/End Flashback/

So now they were faced with their third wedding, and everyone kept telling them 'third time's a charm' and assuring them that they would finally make it down the aisle. Sam was sure that Jack had threatened everyone from the President down to Doctor Lee about not messing up this wedding. Sam happily left the SGC in the capable hands of her 2IC Colonel Dixon, and joined Jack for the trip to Minnesota. They left the kids with Daniel and Vala, after telling Daniel it would be 'good practice for him', given that Vala had just recently announced she was pregnant.

They arrived and unpacked, planning on enjoying the slightly less than 24 hours they had to themselves before wedding madness took over their lives.

It was a relaxing 24 hours.

And then the madness began as caterers came and setup, their friends and family arrived, and had the rehearsal dinner. It wasn't going to be a huge wedding, given that only their closest friends and family members had been invited. Their military friends and members of the SGC had already celebrated with them a year ago when Vala had organized a large baby shower turned engagement and wedding party.

Of course, that didn't stop someone, who Sam suspected hadn't gotten an invitation to the actual wedding, from planning another party once Sam and Jack returned to Colorado Springs.

But right now, Sam was most concerned about keeping the little bit of breakfast she had managed to eat down as she prepared to walk down the aisle.

"Ready?" retired General George Hammond asked the woman who he had come to look at as a daughter as he held out his arm.

Sam took a deep breath and nodded her head, forcing a smile as her stomach did somersaults once more.

'Not today,' she prayed. Everything had been going so well this time around, and Sam had been really glad that nothing had gone wrong, but she couldn't help but feel like there should be a 'yet' attached to that thought.

The wedding march played and General Hammond walked her down the aisle which led to the dock. Jack was standing at the alter waiting for her. Daniel, Teal'c, Zach, and Luke, stood with him while Cassie, Vala, and Emily waited on the other side of the minister.

They managed to make it halfway down the aisle before Sam felt the bile start to rise from her stomach. She quickly turned and ran towards the cabin, wanting nothing more then to disappear as she heard the gasp go up from the crowd. She slammed each door as she ran towards the bathroom.

First the door leading to the deck.

Then their bedroom door.

And finally, the door leading to the master bathroom.

She collapsed in front of the toilet and threw up what seemed to be an awful lot of crap considering the little bit she had eaten for breakfast. Sam eventually settled herself on the floor, kicking off her shoes and waited for someone, hopefully Jack, to brave coming after her.

Sure enough, within minutes there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" Jack asked, his voice muffled through the door.

"Yeah," Sam sniffled. Up until that moment, she hadn't even realized she was crying.

The first thing Sam noticed was that Jack had already taken off his jacket and tie, leaving him in just the button down shirt. His knees creaked and popped as he sat down next to her, not sure just how close he should get. After all, she had just run out on their wedding, and while he couldn't figure out what he could have done to screw up, didn't mean that Sam couldn't have a different view of things.

"So," Jack said, opening the door for conversation, "What's going on?"

Sam felt icky and disgusting and really wanted nothing more then to crawl back into bed, preferably with Jack this time since she hadn't gotten to sleep with him last night. Not that she would be able to do any of that without taking a shower first. There was something about throwing up that made her want to take a shower to wash away the icky feeling.

Unfortunately, none of that was on the list of options right now since there was a crowd of about one hundred people waiting for her and Jack to finally tie the knot.

All thoughts of this were lost though, when Sam looked up and realized how worried Jack was. That and the fact he had the start of a black eye.

"What happened to you?" she asked, reaching out to touch the skin around his eye which was already starting to bruise.

"Oh you're brother decided to use my face as a punching bag," Jack said casually, "As you ran back down the aisle."

Sam didn't have the chance to say anything else as she found herself throwing up what had to be the last of her stomach contents. Jack was right there, holding back her long hair and rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Sam collapsed into his arms, letting Jack hold her.

"I told you we should have planned an afternoon wedding," Sam finally said.

"I bet if Janet were here she would tell you that the flu doesn't magically disappear just because it's the afternoon rather then morning," Jack joked.

"It's not the flu, it's your wedding present," Sam mumbled into Jack's shirt.

Sam could tell the exact instant that Jack put all the pieces together because his body relaxed and his arms held her tighter.

"Do I get to name this one?" he asked.

"Nope. I will not have a son named Bart or a daughter named Lisa," Sam claimed. "It's bad enough having a dog named Thor. He doesn't even look like Thor!"

"Yes he does," Jack objected.

"Jack, he's brown! Thor was gray."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why I can't name our kids."

"Jack, I don't think right now is the time for us to be arguing over who gets to name the kids. There's like a hundred people out there waiting for us to get married," Sam reminded him.

"Right. We are still getting married, aren't we?"

"I'd like to," Sam responded.

"But?"

"But I'm gross and disgusting, and my dress is a mess and I really, really want a shower."

Jack chuckled. "You'll do anything to get out of wearing that dress won't you?"

Sam elbowed him in the ribs. She couldn't help that the dress that Cassie had originally picked out for her three years ago wasn't something she would have picked for herself. But she didn't want to let Cassie down by not wearing the dress.

"Okay, get a shower, put on something else. I'll go inform the crowd that we'll be ready to go in about an hour, and come back in to change into something else. Your brother got blood all over my jacket," he explained.

"I'm sorry," Sam apologize.

"It's not your fault Sam," Jack assured her as he used the counter to pull himself to his feet. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm partially to blame for your current condition," Jack reminded her as he helped Sam to her feet.

Sam headed straight for her toothbrush and toothpaste while Jack headed for the door. "Jack," Sam called after him, "Just tell them I didn't feel good and send Carolyn in. That should be good enough for everyone for now. We can share the good news later."

Jack nodded and smiled before softly closing the bathroom door.

It was actually two hours later that Sam emerged from the bathroom, her hair and make-up once more perfect. Now she just had to find something to wear. But Jack had already figured that part out.

Sitting on the bed was her favorite pair of jeans and her best looking Air Force t-shirt, the only one that had somehow escaped being stained during the last year of feeding Emily.

Sam picked them up and hugged them, wondering what in the world Jack was thinking if he wanted her to wear that outfit to get married in, never mind the fact it was the outfit she would have picked if she hadn't been getting married today.

As if he could read her mind, Jack opened the door and snuck into the bedroom, wearing an outfit that matched Sam's. "I figured even Cassie wouldn't say anything once she sees the ring. Besides, I know how much you hated that dress," Jack claimed.

"What ring?"

"This one," Jack said, reaching into his pocket. His hand came out empty. "One minute," he said, "I left the ring in my other pants."

Sam chuckled as Jack found his pants and pulled the ring out of the pocket.

"This ring," he repeated, "That is, if you still want to marry me?"

Sam dropped her clothes on the bed and hugged her fiancé (finally). "Of course I still want to marry you Jack. If I didn't have morning sickness we'd be married by now."

Jack smiled and slipped the ring on her finger. "Good," he said as he kissed her. "Not about the morning sickness, of course, but about the whole marriage thing… I'm going to let you finish getting dressed so I can drag you off to get married before you change your mind because I've stuck my foot in my mouth," he said in a rush of words. He went to the door and opened it just a crack before quickly shutting it again.

"On second thought, maybe I'll wait for you," he said, turning around and leaning against the door.

Sam questioned him with just her eyes.

"Your brother is out there," he explained.

Sam shook her head as she buttoned up her jeans. "You know, last time I checked, you were a retired black-ops Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. One would think that my older brother, with no military training, would be no problem for you."

"He punched me and he still looks angry!"

"Did you ever think that maybe he's mad because his wife is making him apologize?" Sam questioned. "Didn't think so."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until after we've said our 'I dos'," Jack claimed.

"All right then Mister one-eyed raccoon, let's go face my big, bad, older brother and the other hundred odd people that want to see us get married."

But instead of being met by Mark, the minister stood waiting for them. He eyed them suspiciously. "Will there be a wedding today?" he asked.

"Yes," Sam assured him as Jack wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder. "I think we'll skip the big procession though and go straight to the vows, if that's all right with you."

"After we make an announcement as to why the ceremony was delayed, that is," Jack quickly added.

Sam glared at him.

"I'm just making sure that I survive the day Sam. You didn't see the line of guys dead set on beating the crap out of me after you ran out. The only thing that saved me was Teal'c telling them that I hadn't had the opportunity to screw up yet," Jack claimed.

Sam rolled her eyes. This was one battle she wouldn't win. "Fine, but I was hoping to keep this quiet at least until I was farther along or had a replacement lined at the SGC during my maternity leave."

At this point the minister left the room; not wanting to listen to what could quickly become a heated argument.

"Well then I guess you shouldn't have gone running down the aisle at our wedding," Jack said sarcastically and then realized he had put his foot in his mouth. "Not that you didn't have a good reason you know… you just scared me."

Sam glared at him, making Jack nervous. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she smiled while patting her husband on the arm. "Don't worry Jack; I have the perfect man in mind to fill in for me while I'm gone."

"Who?"

Sam gave a dismissive wave of her hand, walking towards the back of the cabin, "Nah, he wouldn't want to anyways. It was a bad idea."

"Carter, I don't think you've ever had a bad idea in all the years I've known you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that your idea is a great idea!" Jack exclaimed, following after her.

"You sure?" Sam asked with concern.

"Absolutely. I'll bet the guy would be thrilled to fill in for you," Jack assured her. "And if he isn't, I'll talk him into it," Jack vowed.

Sam smiled, hooking arms with her husband. "You'll be doing an awful lot of talking to yourself then Jack."

Jack sighed. "I should have seen that one coming," he groaned.

"But you'll do it, right?" Sam asked, giving him a dazzling smile.

"Of course I will," Jack said half-heartedly. There was no way he was getting out of this one.

"Good. Now let's go tell everyone the good news."

Jack and Sam stepped through the door to the deck, and watched as a hush fell over the crowd. Hand in hand, they walked up the aisle, stood in front of the minister, and turned to face the crowd.

"We have an announcement to make," Jack began.

"You're not getting married today," someone called from the back of the crowd.

"No," Sam quickly assured everyone, who she noticed had changed from their own wedding wear into more casual clothing, something she guessed had been Jack's doing and the explanation for the constant movement of people in and out of the cabin during the last hour. "We are most definitely getting married today. Jack just felt the need to explain to everyone why I ran out on my own wedding. I think it has something to do with preventing his own demise."

Several people chuckled nervously, but most were withholding judgment until after they heard the reason.

Sam looked to Jack and nodded, giving her consent to make the announcement.

"I have to admit that I am not totally without blame for Sam running the other way earlier, but I wasn't aware there could be a problem, at the time. Since then, I have been informed that Baby O'Neill number two will be joining us in a few months and Dr. Lam has assured me that the morning sickness Sam suffered today is par for the course," Jack stated.

There was silence for all of two seconds.

And then the crowd swarmed the happy couple, offering words of congratulations, and apologies to Sam and Jack for threatening Jack's life earlier. Sam assured them all that even at nine months pregnant she could kick Jack's butt, but that she appreciated their defense of her honor.

Eventually, the minister got everyone to take a seat and began the service.

Sam and Jack said their 'I do's' and exchanged rings, smiling the whole time.

Before long, the words of the minister rang out loud and clear. "And in what has to be the most unusual wedding I've ever officiated and the longest engagement I've ever heard of, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Jack leaned in and kissed his wife. "It was worth the wait," he whispered when they separated.

"It sure was," Sam agreed with a smile on her face, "It sure was."


	12. Locked up!

Sam and Jack get locked in a room together…

Sam and Jack get locked in a room together…

"Get off of me!" Colonel Jack O'Neill ordered after a body fell on top of him. He was stinky and smelly after spending the day training the newest recruits- and he wanted nothing more then a nice hot shower. Instead, the recruits had surprised him by shoving him into a room that he had never seen before.

And now, someone else had quickly been shoved in on top of him, landing on his still aching knee. 'That's what I get for thinking I can still keep up with kids half my age,' he thought as he groaned at the pain the extra weight caused him.

"Sorry sir," Major Samantha Carter replied on instinct alone. She too had been shoved into the closet by the new recruits. She was good, but against the strength, numbers, and pure surprise possessed by the recruits, Sam hadn't even had a chance to fight back.

So that was how the two of them ended up thrown together in the little used room.

Now the question was-

"Carter, how are we going to get out of here?" Jack asked, already sounding grouchy even though he hadn't been in the room for more then a few minutes.

"I don't know sir."

"Carter, why are we in here?"

"I don't know sir."

"Well don't you think you should find out?" Jack suggested. "What good is it having a genius on my team if she can't even get us out of a supply closet?"

It didn't take a genius for Jack to know that his 2IC was now glaring at him. Even through the blackness of the room, Jack could feel her stare on his face.

Now he just had to apologize.

He cleared his throat and prepared to do some serious groveling along with carefully choosing his words. He wanted out of this room so badly, and he had a feeling that Carter was going to make him beg for her help and then promise something like not mentioning the Simpsons for an entire mission before she would actually assist him.

"What I meant-"

"How about I save us both the time it will take you to apologize, say you owe me one, and just fix the problem, sir," Sam spat out, delaying the final word of her statement, something which didn't go unnoticed by her CO.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the small space as the two of them worked. Sam examined the area around the door with her hands, hunting for any controls she could hotwire or hinges she could pull off, but it seemed like this door had been 'Carter-proofed', at least in a pitch black room.

Meanwhile, Jack was investigating their new space. The room was quite small, not more then 10 feet by 12 feet. The walls were smooth, the ceiling too high to reach, and the floor was the same as in the rest of the SGC.

In other words, no escape route in sight- other then the door. With a sigh, Jack dropped to the floor. He let Sam continue to work for a few more minutes before he asked, "Any chance we're getting out of here any time soon?"

With a matching sigh, Sam dropped to the floor as well. "Unfortunately not sir," she paused for a second before continuing, "I think I know where we are though."

Jack waited for her to continue, but when she didn't he turned all of his attention to her, and as though she could feel his gaze on her, she finally continued.

"Siler and I have been engineering some new holding cells for when we can finally build a starship. He told me last week he was going to have one of his crews construct a couple at the SGC and give them a test," Sam explained.

"So we're sitting _in_ one of your and Siler's pet projects?" Jack asked for clarification.

"Yes sir."

"And you can't figure out how to get out?" Jack added in disbelief.

"Siler must have made some modifications after I last looked at the plans," Sam clarified, not wanting to sound like she was incapable of getting them out, even though she really was. After all, it wasn't like she could see much of anything in this room!

"Carter," Jack rumbled. "Figure it out and I'll…I don't know what I'll do- just get me out of here. I'm hot, tired, my knee hurts, and I just want a shower."

Sam huffed. "I didn't want to say anything sir, but I did notice a peculiar smell when I came in," she admitted with a lightness to her voice that had been missing since they had gotten in this situation.

Jack relaxed. It seemed like his 2IC wasn't going to stay mad at him forever. "Yeah, well some of us spent the day training the new recruits while someone else got to spend time in her nice air conditioned lab," Jack pointed out with an over exaggerated whine to his voice.

Even though Jack still couldn't see his 2IC's face, he could hear the smile in her voice. "The next time you want to listen to Dr. Lee, Dr. Felger, and whoever else wants me to fix whatever they've messed up instead sir, just let General Hammond and myself know. I'd love to arrange a swap," Sam offered.

Jack quickly retreated. There was no way he was going to listen to a bunch of technobabble from anyone but his favorite scientist. "On second thought Carter, how about we get out of here and we can both go back to the jobs we love so much," Jack offered by way of suggestion.

Samantha Carter didn't move. "Honestly sir, I can't see anything in this room. Siler must not have gotten around to installing the light yet and I haven't been able to find the panel yet that would have the wiring behind it. I need light to make sure I don't electrocute myself as I try to get out," Sam admitted with a sigh.

Jack O'Neill searched the pockets of his tactical vest and came up with an item that he hadn't had the opportunity to tuck back into his locker yet.

A small flashlight.

"Would this help?" he asked as he flicked on the flashlight as he stood up. Jack could just barely make out the grin on Sam's face as she stood up and accepted the light.

She trained it on the wall, looking for a panel she knew had to be there. Siler was good- but she was better!

Sam found the spot she had been looking for and pulled a screw driver out of her pocket, thankful she had tucked it into her pocket before leaving her lab. She began unscrewing the panel away from the wall, but found it rather difficult to do with only one hand, considering the other was occupied with the flashlight.

Without words, Jack took the flashlight and held it at just the right angle so Sam could work.

Five minutes later, Sam was examining the wiring, attempting to figure out just which circuit she would need to short out in order to open the door. A couple of wrong guesses later and the door opened just as silently as it had closed.

Jack poked his head out first and found the corridor abandoned. "Worse then Jaffa," Jack complained in a whisper.

"Already reworking the training schedule sir?" Sam asked in a whisper.

"Yousurebetchya. After they run 5 miles- with full packs- while thinking about how they messed up, we'll discuss how to properly search prisoners and the other various mistakes they made today," Jack decided, still whispering as they made their way down the corridor, still hunting for the new recruits.

"And after that, we could lock them in that room and see if they can actually get out," Sam added to the plan.

Jack whipped his head back around the corner, putting an arm out to stop Sam from moving. A quick relay of hand signs, a few seconds of waiting, and two of the SGC's newest recruits found themselves lying on the floor, begging for mercy.

"Please don't hurt us Colonel, we were only following orders," the tall, black haired Cadet Rich Raymond begged.

"Whose orders?" Jack demanded.

"Mine Colonel," the voice of General George Hammond said from behind them.

Slightly startled because neither Sam nor Jack had heard him approach, they quickly turned around, but kept their bearings enough to keep their two 'prisoners' on the ground with a foot on their backs.

"You can let them up now Jack, Major, they aren't prisoners," Hammond assured the two officers who quickly released the cadets.

Hammond looked at his watch and turned to the man that had been following him. "What do you think Siler?"

"It took less time then I expected," Siler admitted.

"The color scheme of the circuits threw me off," Sam admitted as she stepped forward to stand next to Siler. "I have a few suggestions on what else we could do to make it more difficult for prisoners to escape."

"And if our guards would remember to do a proper search of their prisoners before chucking them inside," Jack reminded her, looking specifically at his two former prisoners.

The cadets ducked their heads.

"Dismissed Cadets," General Hammond ordered. "Report to the training facility at 0900, I'll need your help with something before that Colonel," he added as way of explanation for the late start. George knew his 2IC had probably already planned out some good training exercises for the following day.

"With full packs," Jack tacked on as he returned their salutes. There was no way he was letting them off easy, even if they got to sleep in.

The group waited until the cadets were out of earshot before continuing their conversation.

"I apologize for the surprise test Major, Colonel," General Hammond said, "But I wanted to see what our new recruits were capable of, and telling you beforehand wouldn't have presented a very accurate test," he claimed.

"Yes sir."

"Of course not General," Jack said, "But next time, do you think you could have Siler pick a bigger room? Or put down some padding? That floor was really hard," he complained.

General Hammond chose to ignore Jack's complaint as he turned on his heels, leaving the two officers with the Sergeant to discuss possible security improvements. He was confident that Siler could keep the couple occupied for the necessary length of time.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm actually impressed with how well they did," Jack admitted as he walked towards General Hammond's office the following morning with his 2IC. They had both been ordered to report to his office without any further explanation.

"Sir, they left us with the means necessary to escape," Sam pointed out.

"And so do the Jaffa," Jack explained.

"True, but I had hoped that they would know better then to leave us with a flashlight and screwdriver," Sam exclaimed.

"Better that they made the mistake somewhere they could learn from it without consequences then in the field," Jack reminded her. "It's one mistake they'll never make again," he assured her.

Sam smiled at the ring of happiness in her CO's voice and nodded in agreement. Conversations like this one were what made her day, which was ridiculous, wasn't it? He was her commanding officer, and until one of them left the direct chain of command, they were destined to remain nothing more then friends and co-workers.

They walked into the General's office, and were immediately ordered to be seated.

"It's come to my attention that there has been some tension within the SGC lately," Hammond began, paying close attention to the face of his subordinates. "Specifically to do with certain bets as to how long it would take the two of you to 'get a room' or what would happen if you were locked in a room and the list goes on and on," he said, holding a hand up to stop any forthcoming arguments from either officer.

"What I need to know now is if I have anything to worry about in regards to those bets being fulfilled," Hammond questioned.

"Sir?" the two officers said in tandem.

"Off the record, of course," Hammond assured them with a fatherly smile as he barely contained the laughter the expressions on their faces caused.

"I don't know who you've been talking to sir," Jack began, barely able to keep his voice even and his tone from not being filled with anger. "But the Major and I are nothing more then teammates. Anyone who is betting on when we'll 'get a room' might as well throw their money away because nothing has ever happened. And we would never violate the Air Force frat regs."

Hammond turned his gaze from his 2IC to Major Carter just in time to catch the look of disappointment cross her face, though it was quickly hidden beneath the military mask he had gotten used to seeing her with.

Samantha hadn't always been like that. There had been a time when she had always smiled and laughed, not always double checking her actions to make sure it didn't reveal too much about what she was feeling.

Hammond pulled a piece of paper out and waved it around. "So a pardon from the President, forgiving any possible wrongdoings and permitting a continuation of a previously established relationship or the start of a new one, would be useless?"

Hammond had worked hard to secure permission for two of his best officers to pursue a relationship. It had taken him the better part of a month to lobby the President and secure his approval before he had turned to the Joint Chiefs, who had taken another month to convince.

In fact, it was just yesterday that the final approval had come through, which was why recruits had been ordered to 'occupy' Sam and Jack elsewhere while he made sure all the necessary documents arrived directly to him and no one else.

And now Hammond was enjoying his just rewards as he watched his two officers gape, totally unable to string any words together to respond to his latest statement. He waited patiently until Jack looked like he had collected himself enough to speak and then interrupted whatever his 2IC had been about to say.

"I'll leave you two to discuss things," he began, "And I'll leave this pardon right here. Just remember that a copy needs to find its way into each of your files," Hammond instructed as he got up and left his office, leaving the two officers alone to discuss what- if any impact these recent events would have on their future.

"So…" Jack began, absolutely without a clue as to where he should start.

"Yeah," Sam said, also unsure where to go.

Jack picked up the sheet of paper Hammond had left behind and glanced through it, checking to make sure that it was legit. Seeing the signature of the president at the bottom was enough to reassure him.

"I'm thinking," Jack began again, this time with an idea of where he was headed, "That we need to make copies of this to go in our files and then get a frame for the original to hang in our house, next to our marriage certificate and wedding photo so that our kids can see it some day."

Sam closed her eyes and tried to picture that scene. She wondered if Jack would mind wearing his dress blues for their wedding, and if the picture they would hang would look anything like the one alternate Sam had brought with her through the mirror a few years ago. She pictured their honeymoon on a dock at a cabin that she had never seen and could only imagine. She tried picturing what their kids would look like (and got quite confused as she tried to figure our just how many of them there would be) and what exactly she would tell them when they asked about the importance of 'the letter' on the wall.

Sam finally opened her eyes and found herself looking into Jack's eyes.

"That… that sounds just about perfect," she whispered.

"Really?" Jack asked, clearly surprised that Sam was in agreement with him. In his wildest dreams, he had never expected 'must think everything through at least twice before taking any action at all' Doctor Major Samantha Carter to agree with any hair brained scheme that he came up with on a whim- especially one that ended up with the two of them married! With kids!

An army of Jaffa could have knocked him over with a feather at that point.

Sam smiled in reassurance. "I think… that might be the best plan you've ever come up with. Of course, it's a little lacking in the detail department."

"I was never good with details," Jack quickly claimed. "I think I'm going to leave those up to you."

"Are you- I mean- do you think- what about-"

Jack raised a hand to stop her rather chaotic speech. "Slow down," he advised. "We don't have to figure out everything right this second. We've got some time-"

"No," Sam insisted, "We don't really have all the time in the world."

"Why not?" Jack demanded. "It's not like the world is coming to an end and no one has told me about it, is it?"

"My dad is coming to visit tomorrow for a few hours," Sam explained, "Before he leaves for a long term mission. He won't be back for at least a year. And I want him there for my- I mean our wedding."

"Isn't that moving a little fast?" Jack asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Isn't that a question that a woman would usually ask?" Sam shot right back.

Jack looked at her in full out disbelief. Somewhere, since General Hammond had walked out the door, his normally reserved 2IC, military perfect Major had disappeared and left this woman, Samantha in her place. It was as if he was seeing a brand new side to her- one that he had only had small glimpses of before- and he absolutely loved it!

"Yeah," he said as a grin slowly formed on his face, "It probably was."

And then getting into the act, of which Jack was sure he would have to make use of many, many, many times to come, he began to apologize. He stood up and attempted a bow of apology. "Let me apologize for overstepping my bounds oh wife-to-be," he began. "I am afraid that a pure simpleton like me was thinking too much, something which I can assure you will never happen again."

By this time, anything Jack might have to say wouldn't be heard by Sam who had dissolved in a fit of giggles.

And Jack was left wondering, if there was any possibility that Thor had replaced his 2IC with a clone because the Major Carter he knew never acted like this.

But he wasn't going to press the issue. He had more important things to do. Like plan a wedding.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, waiting for the gate to activate. Jacob Carter was coming to visit, and Jack had elected to tell him everything up front, possibly preventing Jacob from ruining Sam's day, not that he gave that reason to Sam though.

Walter announced the off-world activation and within seconds, retired Major General Jacob Carter walked down the ramp. He paused as he saw the room was totally empty, save for one Jack O'Neill, who was rather strangely attired.

"Expecting visitors Jack?" Jacob asked as he greeted the man who hated wearing his dress blues, but was wearing them anyways.

"Just you," Jack quipped as he continued to bounce nervously on his feet.

Jacob watched as the blast doors came down and the doors to the room slide shut, giving him and Jack total privacy. Jacob looked at Jack suspiciously.

"Something going on you want to tell me about," Jacob suggested, starting to wonder if some alien entity had taken over the base. "Or did you just decide to wear those oh so comfortable dress blues on your own reconnaissance today?"

"I'm getting married," Jack blurted out, unable to come up with some sarcastic response to Jacob's question.

"To who?" Jacob asked, though he was already rather certain he knew the answer- and that he knew the 'lucky' woman rather well.

"Sam," Jack said simply, letting that one word speak for itself.

With the speed of someone twice his age, Jacob Carter knocked Jack O'Neill to the ground and would have probably done more harm, had Selmac not taken over.

"I apologize for Jacob's actions Colonel O'Neill," Selmac stated as she struggled to control Jacob's desire to lash out at the man he believed was ruining his daughter's life- and career.

"Can't say I blame him," Jack claimed as he let Selmac help haul him to his feet. He took a few minutes to dust off his uniform and collect his thoughts, all the while Selmac continued to speak of how happy she was that Samantha and Jack would finally be able to be happy together, like they were meant to be. "Not that I don't appreciate your support Selmac, but just let me speak to Jacob," Jack interrupted.

"As you wish," Selmac responded. She bowed Jacob's head and in that instant Jacob was back.

Jacob took one menacing step forward towards Jack, but Jack held his ground.

"Why?" Jacob asked in disbelief. "What does she see in you that she can't find in any other man?"

Jack shrugged. "In all honesty _Dad_ I have no idea. But I do know this, you're either going to be happy for Sam, for us," he corrected himself, "Or I'm going to have Walter dial that gate and kick you back through the gate myself because Sam deserves the perfect wedding day and I'm going to do everything in my power to give it to her."

Jacob studied Colonel Jack O'Neill in front of him and the seriousness of his expression surprised him. Even in the face of death, Jack had never looked this serious. Jacob sighed. "Can I see Sam?" he requested finally. "See if she would be willing to let me walk her down the aisle?"

"Thank you," Jack whispered to Jacob's retreating back, not expecting Jacob to hear him at all.

But he did.

"It's not for you Jack- it's for Sam. Don't ever forget that," he warned as he went off to find his daughter.

Jacob found her in her quarters, wearing her mother's dress, which surprised him. He hadn't even known she had it, let alone that she would consider wearing it for her own wedding.

"Dad," Sam greeted him, forgetting for a minute just what she was wearing.

Jacob refused her hug, not wanting to mess up her dress. "So…," he said not quite sure where to start. "You're getting married today, or so I hear..."

Sam smiled, not truly nervous, but not fully confident either about having this discussion with her father. "Yes, yes I am," she said forcing more confidence into her voice then she actually felt.

"And when were you planning on telling me you were getting married?" Jacob questioned in a voice that wasn't quite angry but could easily go there if pushed.

"Today. We only decided to get married yesterday," Sam explained, refusing to back down, which was what her father wanted.

"Yesterday!"

Sam quickly quieted her father by relating the sudden turn of events to her father, who stood there in disbelief as his daughter ended the story by saying, "And we're getting married today because I wanted you here for it. It might seem fast to most people, but it's what I- I mean we want. Please be happy for us," Sam pleaded.

"As long as you are," Jacob assured her as he wiped away a tear that had found its way down her face, "Then I'll be happy."

Sam smiled the most brilliant smile Jacob had seen from her in a long time. "I'm very happy Dad. More happy then I ever thought I could be."

With that statement, Jacob Carter knew that his daughter really and truly did want to get married today- and that he couldn't stand in her way of happiness. Which was why he was going to be honored to walk her down the aisle.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Exactly one year later_

Jacob Carter host to the Tok'ra Selmac walked down the ramp in the SGC gateroom, expecting for some member of his family to be there to greet him. Instead, he found only his old friend Major General George Hammond waiting.

"Please tell me there's a good reason why my daughter and son-in-law couldn't meet today," Jacob requested, hoping that everyone was alive and well.

Hammond smiled like the proud commanding officer he was. "They are at home with friends today. Jack asked if I minded bringing you to their house once you arrived."

Jacob looked quite surprised as the two of them headed to the infirmary for Jacob's required check-up. A doctor Jacob didn't recognize quickly did the required check-up while Hammond waited. When they finished, Hammond escorted his friend to the surface, making small talk the whole way. An Airman met them and drove them down an unfamiliar route, stopping in front of an even more unfamiliar house.

Hammond didn't' even wait for the young Airman to come around the car and open the door, choosing to do it himself. The Airman arrived just in time to shut the door as Jacob exited the vehicle.

Hammond smiled warmly at the young man. "I don't think Sam and Jack would mind if you wanted to come in Rich."

"Are you sure sir? I wouldn't want to intrude," Airman Rich Raymond quickly said, though he couldn't hide his eagerness at wanting to visit the couple.

Hammond chuckled. "I'm sure they would welcome your presence, after all, you are partly responsible for finally getting them together," Hammond reminded the young man.

Now Jacob was caught. He wasn't sure if he should be laying into this man for changing his daughter's life or thanking him for helping her finally find happiness. Under advice from that ever present conscious in his head, he decided to reserve judgment until after he saw his daughter for the first time in a year.

Jacob followed Hammond up the front sidewalk, leaving 'Rich' to trail behind the two Generals. Jacob examined at the house. It was a large house, fairly new, and obviously well kept. It sat back off the road quite a bit, and was surrounded by trees.

Hammond knocked softly on the door rather then ringing the doorbell, and within seconds the door swung open, revealing a smiling Cassandra Fraiser.

She let loose a quiet squeal as she launched herself at Hammond, then Jacob, before finally attacking Rich who didn't seem anything more then slightly embarrassed to be treated like an older brother by a girl that was something liken to a granddaughter for his superior officers.

"Sam will be so glad to see you," Cassie said as she finally finished her greetings, holding the door open so everyone could pass. "Everyone is in the living room," she offered by way of direction.

Jacob had no clue where the living room was, but it seemed as though George had been here before and did know the way because he went directly there. Jacob paused at the entrance to the room and took the time to search out the only person in the room that really mattered to him.

He was drawn to her instantly.

There sat Samantha Carter, he briefly wondered if her last name was still Carter, but pushed that to the back of his mind as he studied to see just how she was.

And in his mind she had never looked better.

Jacob had arrived just as someone said something funny, and Sam was mid-laugh. She just seemed to be glowing and her eyes sparkled, especially when they landed on him. They opened wide in shock.

"Dad," she practically yelled, before realizing she was just a little bit too loud. "Dad," she repeated, much quieter this time.

"You can all quit being so quiet now," Jack O'Neill said from behind Jacob and Rich, "They're awake already."

Jacob turned around just in time to see Rich take a bundle from Jack's arms, leaving Jack with just one bundle in his own arms and two bottles.

Jack stopped right in front of Jacob. "Glad you could make it _Dad_," he said as he deftly balanced a baby and two bottles now.

"What is going on here?" Jacob demanded, careful to keep the volume under control so not as to frighten either of the two babies that had yet to really make their presence known.

Jack's eyes twinkled. "I thought you were a smart man Jacob Carter. Are you telling me you haven't figured things out yet?"

"Jack," Jacob said, warning him against becoming any more difficult then he already was being.

"Jacob," Jack shot back, humor filling his voice as everyone else in the room sat back and enjoyed the exchange between the two men.

"Jack."

"Jacob."

"Jack."

"Jacob."

"Jonathan!" Sam finally cut in, getting tired of her husband's boyish tactics- and the fact that her father was egging him on. "Dad!"

"What?" Both men asked as they turned to look at Sam, the same expression on both of their faces.

"Introduce him," Sam directed her husband.

Jack gave Sam his best boyish smile before complying with her wishes. Jack held out the bundle in his arms as to offer it to Jacob. "Meet your newest granddaughter. This is Jacobina Danielle O'Neill."

Jacob looked at his daughter in disbelief. He couldn't imagine that his daughter had let Jack name their daughter that!

Sam couldn't hold back the giggles when her dad turned to look at her, questioning the name Jack had provided for his granddaughter. Jacobina hadn't even made the list of possible names for the babies- and even if it had, Sam wouldn't have let Jack put that name on _her_ daughter's birth certificate!

As soon as Sam started laughing, Jack knew his ruse was up. Jacob turned to look at him, questioning the validity of Jack's words.

"Okay her name is really Emma Elizabeth O'Neill and Raymond is holding her younger brother Jacob Carter O'Neill," Jack said as he used the hand that wasn't holding the baby to gesture towards baby Jacob, or JC as Jack had christened him.

"Twins?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"Well, kind of," Sam said as she walked forward carrying her own bundle of clothing. "This is the youngest of the three, Grace Bethen O'Neill."

You could have knocked Jacob over with a feather, he was so shocked.

"Would you like to hold her?" Sam asked, willingly offering up the baby currently in her arms because she knew Jack would never offer up the baby he currently held.

Silently, Jacob nodded his head as he held out his arms to accept the tiny bundle. He took one look at Grace and instantly fell in love.

"She's so small," Jacob said in awe of just how tiny the child was.

Jack nodded in agreement. That was the first thing he had said as well.

/Flashback/

Jack had been worried he wasn't going to make it in time when Hammond had radioed in that Sam had unexpectedly gone into labor- six weeks early!

As he ran as fast as he possibly could towards the gate, intent on doing everything he could to make it in time to see the birth of his and Sam's first child, well kind of.

Months before Thor had shown up and revealed that a renegade Asgard named Loki had decided that he couldn't wait on Sam and Jack to decide they were ready for children and had taken things into his own hands.

Which resulted in a pair of babies growing in Asgard stasis chambers once Thor realized that their parents would be very, very upset with him, particularly Jack O'Neill, if he let anything happen to either of the children.

And even though Thor hadn't released the children from stasis yet, their names had already been decided and their birth certificates drawn up. Of course, this resulted in Sam having to spend three months in relative security and secrecy since the general public was going to need to believe she was giving birth to triplets instead of just the one child she was currently carrying.

And that was the child that worried Jack the most. Thor had been making weekly visits to the SGC, supposedly to make sure Sam and Jack could keep an eye on their growing children. But Thor had confided in Jack that he was keeping an especially close eye on O'Neill child number three.

"She is most special," Thor declared, but despite further questioning, he refused to say anything more about what special attribute the O'Neill's smallest child held.

So knowing that despite Thor's close monitoring, Sam had still gone into labor early, Jack was really worried. "This shouldn't be happening," Jack managed to grunt out as he continued his run towards the gate, praying he would make it time.

He just barely did.

Jack stripped off his gear the minute his feet hit the ramp, leaving a trail the whole way to the delivery room.

He arrived just in time to get threatened a few times by Sam and to worry as Thor beamed away their tiny daughter seconds after her birth, right out of Jack's arms. Jack did his best to reassure Sam, but nothing would soothe her until Thor beamed the other two children into the waiting cribs.

Still, Jack worried what was going on with their youngest child.

And then he saw the most amazing sight- ever.

Thor cradling Jack's smallest and youngest child.

"For such a small child, she makes much noise O'Neill," Thor stated as the little girl showed off her giant set of lungs, which of course set off the other two children.

Teal'c walked in just as the babies all started screaming.

"It appears that your children have inherited your capacity for noise O'Neill," Teal'c stated, which only made Sam chuckle as she attempted to quiet her son.

/End Flashback/

"She's perfect. They're all perfect," Jacob declared after he had the chance to admire all of his new grandchildren.

Life was perfect, or at least as it could get for Jacob Carter.

Even if he did have Jack O'Neill as his son-in-law.


	13. Baseball and Engagements

Baseball and Engagements

AN: This story idea came from Disneynut who said "How about Sam and Jack fly in to the L.A. area to visit Cassie and it just so happens that the Twins are playing the Angels. (Every once in awhile they have the "Kissing Cam" You can get some of the most unlikely couples and some regular types of people.) What about have the focus on our favorite couple and have that act as the "opening of the flood gates" so to speak. What do you think?" And so this is the result!

"You know, this was a great idea," Sam said, as she settled into her seat next to Jack.

"I do have them once every ten years," Jack claimed with a smile as tried to make himself comfortable in his own seat.

There were a few minutes of silence, during which Sam and Jack faked extreme interest in what was happening on the field.

"The last time I was to a baseball game, it was in this stadium and the Twins were visiting then too," Sam confided in Jack. "Dad was stationed close by, so it must have been almost 20 or 25 years ago."

"That's a long time," Jack observed. "I took Charlie when he was younger. It was one of our favorite things to do together."

"Mark was never really into baseball, and even though I was, it didn't really matter to Dad. Mark hated it, so we didn't go back. Dad didn't see a reason to take his sports loving, tomboy of a daughter to baseball games," Sam explained.

"I would never do that to my daughter. Ever," Jack vowed. "I had half a mind to force Cassie to come with us, but I couldn't force her to cancel her study session with her friends."

"You know it wasn't really a study session right?" Sam asked, curious if he had figured out the same thing she had.

"Carter, I might not be a genius, but I'm not stupid," Jack claimed. "She's going out with a guy, who she obviously didn't want us to meet yet."

"Can't exactly blame her, _sir_. If I were her, I wouldn't want to introduce my boyfriend to us either, especially after what you've done to the last several boyfriends," Sam shot back, emphasizing the 'sir' that she had tried hard to break herself of the habit of using.

"I didn't do a thing. It was all Teal'c!"

Sam eyed Jack suspiciously. "Somehow I find that hard to believe Jack."

"Well, it's true," Jack assured her as the conversation ended as they stood for the playing of the National Anthem.

They spent a majority of the game laughing and joking, catching up on what each had been up to since Jack's promotion and move to D.C. and Sam's departure from the SGC.

It was during the swap of players after the top of the 5th that the 'Kissing Cam' made its appearance.

At first Sam and Jack found it funny to watch various couples kiss in order to appease the audience in the stadium.

Until the 'Kissing Cam' landed on them.

Sam instantly turned beet red. "No way," she quickly said, trying to use her hands to stop Jack.

"We've got to Car- Sam," Jack insisted, looking nervous at the prospect of kissing Sam.

The crowd began clapping in rhythm to the music in the background, encouraging them to kiss.

"They won't quit until we do," Jack insisted as he leaned forward, intent on giving her just a little peck on the cheek.

Reluctantly, Sam lowered her hands and leaned forward slightly. In a sudden move though, she turned her face to his and met his lips with her own.

Fireworks could have exploded and neither Sam nor Jack would have realized it at that moment.

Every possible thought disappeared from Sam's head as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, clinging to him as the kiss deepened.

When their lips finally parted, due to the need for air, Sam didn't remove her arms from around Jack's neck, instead choosing to let their foreheads rest together.

"That was…" Jack started to say, but couldn't find the right word to finish the sentence with.

"Wow," Sam breathed out once she collected herself.

"Yeah."

"Any chance we could do that again?" Sam asked tentatively, slightly loosening her grip around his neck.

Jack's response was a smile as he leaned in to kiss her again.

Suddenly, Jack didn't care if he didn't see the rest of the game at all.

ooooo

Cassie opened the door to her apartment and was shocked by what she found.

Making out on her couch like teenagers were 'Aunt' Sam and 'Uncle' Jack, also known as Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter and Major General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill respectively.

"What is going on here?" she demanded in the most adult voice she could muster, making sure that she flipped the lights on at the same time that she spoke, just as her mom had done when she had caught Cassie and Dominic kissing the first time.

Instantly the two adults broke apart, embarrassment darkening Sam's face.

"What did it look like we were doing?" Jack shot back.

Cassie stared at Jack. "Kissing," she finally answered, wondering what kind of response Jack would have to that.

Jack balked. He hadn't really expected Cassie to be so upfront about things. Heck, even he would have beat around the bush a little bit. But obviously Cassie felt that she could embarrass him the most by getting straight to the point.

But Sam had no qualms about answering Cassie's questions, despite her initial (and continued) embarrassment. "We were," she confirmed for her niece slash daughter. "What are you going to do about it?" she questioned.

Now it was Cassie's turn to be at a loss for words. She did a good impression of a goldfish, which, despite her best efforts at not laughing, caused Sam to start giggling.

Pretty soon all three of the room's occupants had dissolved into full fledge laughter.

After they all managed to calm down, Cassie wormed her way in between her favorite couple on the planet as they retook the couch. It was a tight squeeze but they all managed to fit.

Cassie proceeded to grill Sam and Jack on their feelings for each other- and just when they had started dating- and why they hadn't bothered to inform her of the fact sooner. She was surprised to find out that they had only 'discovered' their mutual feelings that afternoon.

"You mean," Cassie said in disbelief, "You worked together for eight years and only realized today that the feelings were mutual. You do realize that the biggest betting pool in SGC history has to do with how long it would take the two of you to get together after Jack left the SGC right?"

"How big is it?" Jack asked curiously while Sam sat there flushed in embarrassment, wondering how long everyone else had known about the attraction between herself and Jack.

"Everyone from the President down to the guards at the gate have a bet," Cassie informed him.

"Doh!" That piece of news was all Jack had to hear to know that there was no way he and Sam were going to be able to keep this relationship under wraps for very long!

ooooo

Judging by the looks Jack got as he stopped by the SGC on his first inspection of the SGC since he had handed over command to Hank Landry, everyone already knew that he was dating Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter.

Most of the base personnel didn't know Jack well enough to joke with him about his new relationship with Sam, but those who did, got in a few good ribs, fairly certain that Jack wouldn't do anything too horrible to them for it. After all, the only person Jack O'Neill had ever admitted to being scared of during his time at the SGC was Sam Carter, so they knew not to even think about bothering her at Area 51 in order to get their joking in.

But once Jack returned to D.C., everything quieted down on the Sam and Jack relationship front. The couple managed to work out a way to spend every other weekend together, which was nice.

It usually meant that they both lost some sleep, actually a lot of sleep on those weekends they were together between travelling and their other nighttime activities.

And they both silently agreed that it was worth it.

But Sam was tired. Tired of only getting to have Jack four, maybe five if she was lucky, days a month. After eight years, she wasn't sure if forever was going to be long enough to spend with him.

And despite how much she loved her job at Area 51- and she did love her job- the offer that the Pentagon continuously made her was looking better and better, even if it would mean leaving behind the Stargate Program. Sam vowed to wait until after the newest ship left on its maiden voyage to Atlantis, with Daniel on board, before she took any action.

That day came, and with it a set of transfer papers crossed the desk of her CO, before quickly being escalated the whole way up to the desk of the big man- the President of the United States of America.

Within two hours after handing in her request for a transfer, Sam found herself on a transport to D.C. to speak with the President.

After dismissing his various secretaries and security agents, Henry Hayes sat down in front of Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter and got straight to the point. "This will be the second transfer inside of a year Colonel, are you unhappy with your assignments?"

Sam quickly assured him that there was not. "No sir," she vehemently denied. "I love the Air Force and the Stargate Program especially."

"Then why are you distancing yourself from it?" he asked, digging for the truth.

Sam chewed on her bottom lip a little bit before she answered. "I love the SGC, Area 51, the Stargate Program as a whole," she assured him. "But I need something here in D.C.- and that is one place that the Stargate Program is not, at least in a scientific capacity that is."

Hayes nodded in understanding, putting together some of the unspoken pieces of the puzzle. "So if I were to create a position here in D.C. that dealt with some scientific or technology related aspect of the Stargate Program, I could count on you to take the position?" he questioned.

"Most likely," Sam admitted, slightly baffled as to why the President was going through such great lengths to try and keep her happy.

As if he could read her mind, Hayes answered her question. "You save the planet a few times, and you earn some special considerations Colonel. And this offer isn't just spur of the moment. Ever since I created Homeworld Security, we've been trying to come up with a way to get someone with some technology expertise here to oversee what could be a rather large job, but no one had really stood out as a possible candidate- until now."

"May I ask what the position would entail sir?" Sam asked politely, wondering what kind of work she was getting herself into now.

Hayes smiled. "Truthfully, it's almost a design your job type thing. You pick your own staff, have your own office, and report directly to me- though working with Homeworld wouldn't be out of the question. Ideally, I'd like to see the main focus be on adapting technology to benefit the U.S., especially in light of the fact the IOA has been pushing for at least a partial disclosure to the rest of the world more and more lately. Having something to show the American people for all the money we've spent would be rather nice, wouldn't you say?"

The notion of disclosure was the first Sam had ever heard on the topic, but right now she forced herself to focus on the fact the President was pretty much telling her she could have pretty much anything she wanted. "Yes sir," she responded dutifully.

"I just need your assurances that you aren't looking to leave the Air Force any time soon," Hayes requested as he stood up, signaling the end to the brief meeting.

"No sir," Sam replied as she stood up.

"Good. Think about what you'd like to do, put something in writing for me to look over, and we'll talk," Hayes said as he walked her to the door. He had a hand on the door to open it for her, which in itself was an oddity because the President of the United States never, ever opened the door for himself, let alone for someone else, when he paused. "Take the rest of the week off Colonel," he ordered. "I'm sure you deserve it," he said as Sam opened her mouth to protest. "I'll even make sure that Jack makes it home in time for dinner tonight; just make sure that you do something to improve his mood. He's been a bear to deal with ever since Doctor Jackson left," Hayes requested.

Sam blushed, silently wondering just how the President had done in the whole betting scheme as she left his office.

ooooo

It was a rare day when Jack O'Neill made it home at a semi-reasonable hour. But when his last two appointments of the day mysteriously canceled, he said a silent prayer to whatever real god was out there and headed for home.

Jack arrived at his apartment building, took the elevator to his overly large and lavish Air Force furnished apartment. He shut the door behind him and started stripping pieces of his uniform as he walked. The jacket got hung up carefully, but the shoes got kicked to the corner, the tie got dropped to the floor. He knew he would have to collect them later, but right now he wanted nothing more then to not be Major General Jack O'Neill, but just a guy with whatever hockey game happened to be on and whatever frozen meal Sam had purchased and left for him in the freezer.

He came to a screeching halt when he walked into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly shocked to see Samantha Carter cooking in his kitchen.

Sam turned around and smiled, still holding a spoon covered in tomato sauce in her hand. "Cooking," she answered, knowing that she was answering his question, just not in the way he wanted her to.

Jack blinked a couple of times before he broke out in a grin, no longer caring why his 'girlfriend' was in his apartment only that she was. He gave her a quick kiss before settling on a bar stool so he could watch her as she cooked.

"How long are you here for?" Jack asked curiously, racking his brain to see if he had forgotten some meeting by which she could possibly be coming to attend.

Sam meticulously spooned out some spaghetti, handing Jack a plate before she answered. She took a deep breath, wondering how Jack would take the news. "I was thinking, maybe, possibly, if you think you could handle it, somewhere along the lines of forever."

Jack's fork stopped halfway to his mouth, some of the spaghetti falling back to the plate. "What!"

Sam quickly babbled on. "I know it's kind of sudden, and we haven't really talked about it much, it's just that, well, I'm sick of the every other weekend thing. I hate it really," Sam admitted. "The Air Force told us we could see each other every day for eight years, and then when we were allowed to be together, they decided to separate us by thousands of miles. Four days a month isn't enough, yes it's better then nothing," she quickly admitted, seeing that Jack was about to object, "But I'm not going to wait for someone to else to decide when- if ever- we'll be able to live in the same city. So I'm coming to D.C."

"And you think the Air Force is just going to let you transfer?" Jack questioned, having rose to his feet, abandoning his meal in the process.

Sam placed her hands on the countertop. "I think so."

Jack laughed. "You think so?" he questioned. "The Stargate is your life Carter. You would be bored in a week without it. And I know exactly how often you still get phone calls about fixing the actual gate- I've had to justify your phone bill," he explains at her questioning glance, which quickly turns into a grimace as she realizes how large that bill must be some months.

"So you had better be sure," Jack claimed, "Before you go and make a decision on a whim."

Sam snorted in amusement. "On a whim? You think I haven't planned this out down to how I'm going to pack my house? You once told me that I plan too much- 'think too hard about things', and now, the one time I'm not thinking 'too hard' you question if I've thought things out enough! What do you want from me Jack?"

Jack studied his hands, Sam question repeating itself over and over in his head. 'What do I want?' he asked himself. A photo album of snapshots in time came to mind, ranging from a picture of their wedding, to waking up in Minnesota with Sam in his arms, to finally holding a baby that belonged to the two of them.

"Everything," he finally answered, looking up just in time to hold her gaze as she heard his answer. "It's just I don't want you to have to give anything up. You've worked so hard to get to where you are today that I don't want you to give anything up."

"I make my own decisions," Sam reminded him.

"But you can't say that I don't influence them," Jack claimed. "You would never move to D.C. if I wasn't here. No, you'd be perfectly content to stay at the SGC or at Area 51." He shook his head, resigning himself to not letting her do this, especially because it was for him. "I won't let you."

Sam's eyes grew wide with that statement. "You won't let me?" she repeated. "Last time I checked, you didn't have a say in things related to my career."

"But I could," Jack reminded her, pulling himself up to his full height, wielding the power that he had as a Major General.

"I'd go above you," Sam warned.

"You wouldn't."

"I would," Sam shot back.

Jack sighed. He had always known that Sam would fight him tooth and nail if she hadn't been his 2IC, but this was the first time that he had actually seen her pull out all of the attitude he knew she was capable of.

Sam sighed. "Just drop it Jack," she suggested, not wanting to fight about this. "Let's just go watch the game and eat dinner."

They both knew that this conversation was far from over, but there was no way they were going to have a conversation that night that ended in anything less then a fight.

ooooo

Sam spent the rest of the week off planning her move to D.C. She even went apartment hunting after she finalized her transfer via the President. She was in the shower when the rental agreement arrived and hence, never knew that Jack tucked it away in one of his desk drawers, intent on Sam never signing them.

Instead, he finished the last of his preparations for a day he hoped Samantha Carter would never forget. Jack had wanted to go to Baltimore, intent on taking Sam to a baseball game and asking her there, but the unfortunately rainy weather made that action impossible, so he modified his plan and went somewhere else instead.

Jack had been hunting for a house for quite some time now, but until he was sure he was going to stay in D.C., he hadn't wanted to get a permanent home. But with Sam's decision to move there, he was more then willing to make the adjustment.

But before he officially closed the deal on the house, he wanted to make sure it was a place that Sam would want to live.

So they drove so a suburb of D.C. One of the really, really nice suburbs, considering that Jack refused to live in one where he had to pretty much share his back yard with his neighbors. If he couldn't live in Minnesota or Colorado Springs, he was surely going to live somewhere that had a decent size yard. After all, he had to make sure that there would be plenty of room for that dog that every Earth kid needed, right?

Sam gave Jack a confused glance as they pulled to a stop in front of the house. "What are we doing here?" she questioned.

Jack smiled mysteriously. "Let's take a look," he suggested, getting out of the car and offering her his hand. Using the key he had borrowed from the realtor, he unlocked the front door and led Sam inside, giving her a tour of the house, pointing out all of the features that the realtor had pointed out to him.

They ended the tour of the balcony off of the Master bedroom, the one that overlooked the rather spacious backyard, at least by D.C. standards.

"What do you think?" Jack asked, having watched as Sam's eyes had occasionally lit up during the tour, though her face hadn't given away anything.

"I like it," Sam claimed, letting a smile slip through her mask. "It looks like a place you would live."

"But it is it a place you could live?" Jack pressed.

Sam shrugged. "You're the one that would be living it," Sam commented, "So what does it matter what I think of it? It would be your house."

Jack knew he wasn't going to get a much better opening then that. He reached into his pocket and produced a box. He carefully flipped it open, displaying the contents for Sam to see as he spoke. "I was actually kind of hoping that it would be our house. That is, if you're interested in marrying me."

Sam's hand flew to her mouth, in an attempt to hide the gasp that escaped her mouth. Of everything that she had thought was going to happen today, getting engaged hadn't even been on the realm of possibilities.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I like the idea of you moving to D.C. to be closer to me- because I don't. But I would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity it grants for me to have you in my life everyday as my wife," Jack explained as he gently took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, chancing glances at Sam's face every so often, which was still resonating her shocked expression. "Marry me?"

Sam gaped at Jack, her brain desperately trying to process everything that had been thrown at her in the past few minutes. Jack was buying a house and he wanted her to live with him- as his wife! "How could you, I mean we afford it Jack?" Sam objected.

Jack chuckled, knowing that only once Sam got the answer to all of her questions, would she answer his question. "I don't know about you, but I've got money stocked away, and then there is my housing allowance from the Air Force. Add that to the salary I get as a Major General, and I don't think we've got too much to worry about."

Sam walked towards the railing of the balcony, trying to collect her thoughts. This would be the third time she had gotten engaged, and everyone always said third time was the charm, and she was really hoping this was the case. Jonas Hanson had been too controlling, trying hard to ensure his own happiness. Pete had spent too much time trying to do what he thought she wanted.

But Jack? Jack was simple- he wanted to do everything in his power to make her happy, because he was happy when she was happy.

"Yes," Sam whispered as she turned around.

"To the house or the marriage?" Jack asked worriedly.

"Buy the house Jack and we'll get married in the back yard," Sam vowed, as she took his hand in her own.

"Really?" Jack questioned, in total disbelief.

"Really," Sam assured him as she leaned forward to kiss her husband to be.

ooooo


	14. A Christmas Engagement

AN: This is a Secret Santa Request from achairsomewhere: no smut or anything like that but a good fic would be nice :) um...sam/jack of course, some team - post jack being a general so team could mean old or new (or both which is probably preferable), romance but not clichéd or slash and in character. and some off world actionI've been writing a series of stories all involving the different ways Sam and Jack get engaged.

AN2: After I read this assignment, I started two other stories which I thought would fit the prompt and then the idea for this one hit me- and I thought "This is the best one of the bunch!" Hope you enjoy and that it isn't too clichéd or too lacking in action. If it is… well sorry but there's no "no cliché/lots of action or a new story guarantee" =) Now on with the story!

Jack O'Neill sat in his office, wondering if once again someone was out to get him. He had made plans to spend Christmas with Sam and well, everyone, but it seemed the Asgard had a different idea. So instead SG-1 and Landry were quickly speeding across the galaxy towards the Asgard homeworld.

He hadn't had much time to prepare for their departure, so he had been forced to make a quick decision- one that he was now not really regretting, but definitely doubting.

Jack had decided to send Sam's Christmas present, really all of SG-1's presents, with them by personally making sure that the carefully packaged and wrapped box was beamed aboard the Odyssey prior to their departure.

He could vaguely remember being nervous when had asked Sara to marry him, but right now, he was terrified, and rightly so. He had to wait only a few minutes to hear Sara's "Yes" but it was going to be months before he heard from Sam again.

Briefly, he wondered what Sam had gotten him for Christmas that he still had to go to Colorado to retrieve, but put it out of his mind. He had paperwork to do and budget requests to sign, or else he would never get out of here tonight!

o

Vala looked longingly at the box in the corner of the room which Daniel had claimed for his own personal lab. She just knew it contained a present for her. After all General O'Neill had said he liked her, right?

Not even looking up, Daniel said, "Don't even think about it."

"Daniel! Come on- General O'Neill sent those presents last year! I don't understand why we can't open them now!" Vala complained.

Daniel sighed, giving up his attempt at work. He already knew that he could spend a lifetime and not learn everything the Asgard left behind. "Jack sent that box to Sam, and if she says we can't open it until Christmas, we aren't opening it until Christmas."

'Time for a change in tactics,' Vala decided. "What do you think it is?"

"What do you think what is?" Cam asked for the doorway of the lab, Teal'c right behind him.

"The box from General O'Neill," Vala explained, pointing to the corner of the room where Teal'c had put the box.

Teal'c had located the large box two weeks ago during his continued work of inventorying the ship. He had taken it to Sam immediately.

She had opened it to find several wrapped presents. After great thought, she had decided they should wait until Christmas to open it. After all, the instructions on the boxes specifically said "Wait until Christmas to Open".

Cam shrugged his shoulders. "I just hope it isn't something that was alive- because I don't think it will be anymore!"

oo

Jack stepped into Sam's house, still confused as to why he was here. It wasn't like Sam was going to be able to make the trip home and surprise him. If he was lucky, she'd be back and they'd be together for Valentine's Day.

He flipped on the lights, taking note of the decorated tree in the living room with only one present under it. Unable to resist, Jack picked up the present, and noticed it was addressed to him.

The box was wrapped carefully in Simpson's paper- and was quite light. Even though it was still a couple days until Christmas, Jack tore into the box, opening it to reveal an envelope on the inside- it wasn't like Sam was there to chide him about being unable to wait!

He quickly opened the envelope, wondering what kind of message Sam could have left him.

_Jack-_

_If you're reading this, then I guess I'm not here for Christmas because I wasn't there to stop you from opening this present early!_

Jack smiled. Only Sam would know him well enough to know that he couldn't wait to open his Christmas present.

_But I guess since you couldn't wait, I'll have to make you work to get your present. Call the number below and ask if your present is ready. I hope you like it._

_Love always,_

_Sam_

Unable to wait, Jack pulled out his cell phone to make the call.

ooo

Sam stared at the box.

It was Christmas morning on the Odyssey. With great care, Sam began to pull the wrapping paper from the box. The wrapping was too neat for Jack to have done the job himself, but she still wanted to take her time enjoying the present. It would be the only one she would get from Jack for who knows how long.

oooo

The phone call had been rather mysterious and had left Jack with more questions than answers. But Sam had left him instructions, and Jack was going to follow them.

Which was why he had driven almost an hour to this rather remote location.

He got out and then he realized that he could hear noise coming from the back of the house.

With a sudden spring to his step and a smile on his face, he walked to the front door and rang the bell.

ooooo

Now Sam was confused. As far as she could tell the only thing the box contained was packing peanuts. Why in the world would Jack send her a box full of packing peanuts?

She started digging through them, like a kid in a sandbox, and eventually her hand hit something hard, that wasn't a packing peanut. She dug a little bit more until she could see it.

She gasped in surprise as she looked at the box she had uncovered, hardly bigger than a few of the packing peanuts put together.

Tears welled up in her eyes and in that moment she rededicated herself to finding a way off of this ship.

She carefully put the box containing the box off to the side, unable to do anything else with her Christmas present right now. Instead, she headed to her lab; Sam had a problem to solve so she could go home and have Jack slip that ring on her finger himself.

oooooo

Jack was sitting on the floor, being swarmed by puppies. His casual mention that someday he would retire and get a dog was all he had ever given Sam. Yet somehow she had known he would want a lab.

A yellow lab too, if the woman who owned the puppies could be believed! She said that Sam had been to visit shortly after the puppies were born and had instantly reserved the only yellow lab in the litter for him.

The little guy was friendly, licking at Jack's fingers as he tried to pet the puppy.

A puppy was the perfect Christmas present.

Now if only Sam was there, and it would be the perfect Christmas.

ooooooo

Samantha Carter could never bring herself to wear the ring. She slipped it on the chain, next to her dog tags, because wearing it on her finger would forever be a reminder of how she was continuously failing in her attempts to get her and her teammates home.

For the past fifty years she never told anyone about the ring that hung on her dog tags. She had lied years ago and told them that the box had contained some of her favorite foods- chocolate bars and blue jell-o.

Even now as she prepared to reverse the time dilation, she did nothing more than offer a fleeting touch to the ring that hung around a neck, offering an 'I love you Jack' to the stars as she pushed the button that would hopefully send her back to him.

oooooooo

Even with the new Asgard technology, it was still going to take too long for them to get home, which was why Jack called in a favor to go out and meet them.

A few seconds by Stargate and Jack was to be beamed aboard, directly to the bridge of the Odyssey.

Or at least that was what the plan was… but considering he was an (honorary) member of SG-1 and things were never went as planned for them, it didn't go that way.

Instead of beaming to the bridge, he found himself in Sam's quarters.

Looking right at her.

"Ya know, for some reason I don't think I was supposed to end up here," Jack stated in a casual manner, like he had just dropped by for pizza and a movie.

"Ooops!" Sam said halfheartedly, even though she had obviously done some hacking to reprogram the computer and beam him here rather then to the bridge.

Jack smiled, slinging his P-90 behind him so that he could pull Sam into his arms and hug her. They separated and Jack tried discretely checking her hand and dog tags for a ring, but found none- and got caught.

"Jack, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing," Jack said, a little bit too gruffly, before softening his words with a smile.

Deciding a change of topics was in order, Sam asked, "So what did you think of your Christmas present?"

"He's… perfect. Likes to hog the bed though," Jack admitted.

"What did you name him?"

"Ralph."

"Ralph?"

"He didn't look like a Thor," Jack claimed, like that explained everything.

Sam couldn't help herself as she giggled.

The moment ended though as Jack was paged to the bridge and Sam to the lab.

ooooooooo

It took almost a day for Jack and Sam to find some 'alone time' and for Jack to ask the question that had been bothering him since his arrival.

"How come you're not wearing your engagement ring?"

"Engagement ring?" Sam squeaked, reaching a pitch that Jack didn't even realize that she could.

"Yeah, you know, the thing you wear on your finger, shows everyone that you're engaged to a man, that you want to get married… that kind of engagement ring," Jack explained.

"What engagement ring?"

"The one I got you for Christmas," Jack explained, like he was talking to a small child.

"I didn't get a ring for Christmas."

"You didn't?"

"I didn't."

"I sent one."

"I didn't get it."

"Obviously!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that now I understand why you weren't wearing the ring."

"What makes you think I would want to marry you?" Sam demanded.

Jack stood there at a loss for words. He had never expected that sort of a response from Sam. They had broached the topic of marriage before and usually it ended with them using the vaguest terms like 'someday'.

"Sam?" Jack whispered, feeling his heart start to break.

Realizing what she had said, and how it had sounded, Sam explained her words. "I wanted you to ask- not just send me a ring."

"Marry me?" Jack quickly asked.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Usually when a man asks that, he comes with a ring in hand," Sam reminded him.

"I have a ring!" Jack protested. "It's here, just not right here, right now."

Sam smiled at his obvious fluster. "Find the ring Jack, and then ask," she suggested, heading for the door.

"And then?"

"And then… we'll see," Sam assured him with a 10,000 watt smile.

oooooooooo

Sam's words, of course sent Jack on a hunt for the missing box. It took quite a bit of doing, but he did finally find it, tucked away in a storage room, sitting on a shelf that was even out of his reach.

"General O'Neill to the bridge. General O'Neill to the bridge." The communications officer called over the ship's intercom system, startling Jack who had been precariously balanced on a rather unsteady stool he had found in the corner.

He was pretty sure he did a rather good impression of a windmill before loosing his balance. The last thing he remembered was the strange look he got of the ceiling as he fell.

ooooooooooo

"And he says I get into trouble off-world?" Daniel asked from where they were all gathered in the infirmary. "At least I've never been taken out by a storage room and a stool!"

Laughter ensued at the truth of that comment.

"I believe O'Neill fell from a stool Daniel Jackson and his cranium collided with the floor," Teal'c corrected.

"But what was he doing standing on a stool in the first place Muscles?" Vala asked.

"Searching for a box," Jack grunted from his position, lying in the bed.

All eyes turned to him, even though Jack only had eyes for Sam, and in return Sam only had eyes for him.

"Don't you have people to do that for you General?" Vala asked and received an elbow in her side for the comment. "What? He's a General! You don't do work like that when you have people to do that for you!"

"Why were you looking for a box?" Daniel asked curiously even as he received an elbow to the ribs from Vala to match the one he had given her.

"I was looking for a box," Jack explained. "It has your Christmas presents in it."

""Presents?" Vala asked excitedly. She had been stuck on this ship for so long now that she was about to lose her mind. Any shift from what had become the daily grind would be great. One could only have so many 'birthday' parties before the crew started to ignore her insistence that they celebrate- again.

"Yes presents," Jack confirmed.

"Shall I retrieve them O'Neill?"

"Yeah, that'd be great Teal'c. They're in a box-"

"I may have aged, but I still recall where the box is," Teal'c cut Jack off as he went for the door.

"I think you meant 'I'm old, but I haven't forgotten' Teal'c," Jack called after his friend.

One word floated back to them as they waited for Teal'c to return.

"Indeed."

Which of course, sent them all into fits of laughter as they waited for the arrival of their Christmas presents.

Jack managed to amuse them all with stories, and even a picture of his beloved new puppy Ralph until Teal'c returned. The large Jaffa donned a Santa hat and proceeded to pass out the presents, one at a time and they watched each other open them.

It didn't matter that it was now February, this was Christmas to them.

Daniel opened his first to reveal a book. "This is a shock Jack," Daniel said sarcastically as he flipped through the first few pages of the book.

"That's me, Mr. Unexpected," Jack returned with a smirk. He had gotten Daniel a different book every year for Christmas as long as he had known him.

Vala went next, ripping into her present with the kind of impatient joy that usually belonged to a child. Of course it was just a box with an envelope containing a gift card to one of her favorite stores. "I won't even need to borrow your credit next time Daniel," she said quite happily, leaning around several people to give Jack a hug.

Teal'c's gift revealed a gift card to his favorite hat shop.

"I didn't want to pick one out for you Teal'c," Jack explained.

Mitchell was quite surprised when Teal'c offered him a present from Jack, and even more surprised to find a couple of tickets to a baseball game. Of course, he thanked Jack profusely for the gift.

That left Sam with the largest of the boxes. She took quite a bit of time opening the box, prompting threats of assistance from several in the room.

A full blown smile threatened to shine through as she opened the box to reveal packing peanuts and proceeded to dump them all on to Jack who was sitting up in his infirmary bed.

"Hey!" Jack protested, surprised that Sam would do something like that.

Sam giggled while the civilians laughed at Sam's actions and Mitchell looked on with interest.

"No giggling Colonel," he ordered as he began searching the mess on his bed for the box he knew had to be there.

"Interesting choice of gifts, Jack," Daniel commented, wondering exactly what his friend had been thinking giving his… girlfriend for lack of a better word, a box of packing peanuts for Christmas.

Sam stopped giggling when a ring box was unceremoniously shoved in her face.

"Will you marry me now?" Jack asked impatiently.

Sam smiled, nodding as she permitted Jack to slip the ring on her finger. They shared a short kiss, somewhat of an irregularity considering where they were.

Amid the congratulations from their friends, Sam took the time to make one thing very clear.

"There is one condition to all of this," she began.

"What?" Jack asked worriedly, wondering what kind of condition Sam was about to name.

"I get to name all the kids."


End file.
